''Operophtera fagata'', the northern winter moth, 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

Geometridae The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek ''geo'' γεω (derivative form of or "the earth"), and ''met ...

. It is widespread through much of Europe.

Geographic distribution

This species’ range extends through central and northern

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 ...

to southeast

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. It is widespread in the UK and Northern Ireland.

Habitat

In Europe, this species prefers

common beech ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' is a large tree, capable of reaching heights of up to tall and trunk diameter, though more ...

woodland, but will also use

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...

.Kellner J. 2005. Proposed separation of male ''Operophtera fagata'' (Scharfenberg, 1805) from ''Operophtera fumata'' (Linnaeus, 1758) by their genitalia (Lep., Geometridae). ''Entomologische Nacrichten und Berichte'' 49: 191 – 193. The

larvae A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

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 ...

(''Malus''), plum, cherry (''

Prunus ''Prunus'' is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes (among many others) the fruits plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds. Native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of South America, and the p ...

''),

(''Betula''), lime (''Tilia''),

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

(''Fagus'').

Morphology

Egg

The oval egg is blunt at the

micropyle Micropyle may refer to: * Micropyle (botany) In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the ''integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (o ...

end and has a strongly reticulated surface. It is pale green at first, becoming pale orange.name = "Carter"

Caterpillar

The larva is initially greenish black with white lines along the body and black or dark brown head. It gradually becomes more yellowish green.

Pupa

The pupa is yellowish brown and larger than in ''O. brumata''. The cremaster comprises a short, stout shaft with long divergent spikes.

Adult

The adult male measures up to 33 mm in body length. The

forewings Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwi ...

are silvery greyish brown with dark brown crossbands. The hindwing is yellowish white. The head and body are pale yellowish brown. The female is smaller and has greatly reduced wings, so is flightless.

Similar species

This species morphologically resembles its congener ''

Operophtera brumata :''In North America, "winter moth" usually denotes the invasive species ''Operophtera brumata'', but may also mean refer to a native species, ''Erannis tiliaria'' (linden looper) or '' Operophtera bruceata'' (bruce spanworm).'' The winter moth (' ...

'', but males of ''O. fagata'' are slightly larger and do not have the brown underwings characteristic of ''Operophtera brumata''. Microscopically, there are also clear differences in the morphology of the genitalia between the two species. In ''O. fagata'', the

uncus The uncus is an anterior extremity of the parahippocampal gyrus. It is separated from the apex of the temporal lobe by a slight fissure called the incisura temporalis (also called rhinal sulcus). Although superficially continuous with the hippo ...

is more pointed with a broader and flatter base that is more triangular in ''O. brumata'' (Kellner, 2005). Although co-occurring in the same habitat with overlapping flight times, the two species do not interbreed, which is probably because females produce species-specific

pheromones A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...

that attract males of only their own species.

Reproduction and life history

From mid-May until early June, mature larvae fall from trees to the woodland floor to pupate in the soil. They remain there until October and November when adults emerge to reproduce.Tomalak M. 2003. Biocontrol potential of entomopathogenic nematodes against winter moths (''Operophtera brumata'' and ''O. fagata'') (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) infesting urban trees. ''Biocontrol Science and Technology'' 13(5): 517 – 527. Wingless females crawl up tree trunks, while males fly in swarms at night to encounter females to mate with. Females lay eggs on twigs close to leaf buds in November, where they overwinter. In the UK, adults are active October - December. The larvae hatch April – May, which in Europe happens at the same time as birch leaves come out.

Pest status

The larva of this moth can be a serious pest of fruit trees in northern Britain by attacking the foliage and blossom. Damage to fruit trees by defoliation is more likely when birch trees, a natural host plant, are growing nearby. In Northern and Central Europe, the larva is a serious defoliator of beech and birch plantations and can sometimes destroy whole seedling plantations.Escherich K. 1931. ''Die Forstinsekten Mitteleuropas''. Tom. 3. D-Berlin: Paul Parrey, pp. 558 – 595

References

External links

Northern winter moth at UK Moths

Fauna Europaea

Lepiforum.de

Vlindernet.nl
{{Authority control Operophtera Moths described in 1805 Moths of Europe Moths of Asia