''Yponomeuta malinellus'', the apple ermine, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family Yponomeutidae. It is native to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, and it has spread to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is . The forewings are white and have 12 to 16 black dots, which are arranged in three irregular lines. The moth flies from June to October. The larvae feed on

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

species. It can defoliate apple trees and negatively impact fruit production for several years following an outbreak. ''Y. malinellus'' larvae initially burrow into Malus leaves, and produce a silken web in May and early June, within which they feed. The larvae, when fully grown, vary in length from 18 to 25 mm. The moth is found across England, whereas there are few reports of it in Scotland, Wales or Ireland. In Britain, the adult moth flies in July and August.

References

External links

waarneming.nl lepiforum.deApple ermine at UKmoths
Yponomeutidae Insect pests of ornamental plants Moths described in 1838 Moths of Europe {{Yponomeutidae-stub