Ailanthus webworm
Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox
The Ailanthus Webworm (Atteva aurea) is an ermine moth found commonly in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This small, colorful moth resembles a true bug or beetle when not in flight, but when in flight it resembles a wasp.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Host plants
The ailanthus webworm is hypothesized to be native to South Florida and the American tropics (as far South as Costa Rica), which contains their original larval host plants: Paradise Tree (Simarouba glauca) and Simarouba amara.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has since expanded its range to another host plant Ailanthus alitissima.<ref name=":2" />
The Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), originally from China, has expanded across the United States, and is widely considered an invasive species.<ref>Huebner, C. D., & Wickert, K. (2024). Ailanthus (<em>Ailanthus altissima</em>). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. https://doi.org/10.2737/sna.ailanthus.altissima</ref> Tree-of-Heaven is the host plant of several invasive species such as the Spotted Lanternfly<ref name=":0" /> and A. aurea is thought to have adapted to feed on and breed in it as well. This thought comes from the fact that it is in the same family of its original host plant (Simaroubaceae).<ref name=":2" /> This resulted in the expansion further North in the United States.<ref name=":2">Frank, K. D. 2015. Chapter 6 In Ecology of Center City, Philadelphia. Fitler Square Press, pp.55-65</ref> This expansion of its range to nest in A. altissima is what resulted in its common name<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Ailanthus Webworm Moth.
Climate
Originally found in the Southern U.S, the moth is commonly seen in summer throughout the continental US(although it has not reached the most Western States), and occasionally eastern Canada.<ref name=":1" /> This species appears to be either adapting to colder areas, or staying further north due to changing climates.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
Life cycle
Larvae build nests on the host plant by pulling the leaves together around a network of webbing. They will then live there and consume the leaves of the host plant. Eggs are found individually, not in clusters, even though each web may contain many separate eggs.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The caterpillars have a wide, light greenish-brown stripe down their backs and several thin, alternating white and olive-green stripes along their sides.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The range of colors is from light brown to dark black. The adult moth visits flowers, is diurnal, and is a pollinator. The life cycle from egg to egg can happen in four weeks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This can result in a communal web that has multiple generations and insects from all life stages.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This is a result of the moths being gregarious, meaning that they live in communities.
Taxonomy
-
Atteva edithella, now considered a synonym of Atteva aurea -
Atteva exquisita, now considered a synonym of Atteva aurea -
Atteva ergatica, now considered a synonym of Atteva aurea -
Atteva microsticta, now considered a synonym of Atteva aurea
Wilson et al. (2010) discovered that morphologically similar Attevid moths were assigned two different names, Atteva ergatica in Costa Rica and Atteva punctella in North America, but had identical DNA barcodes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Wilson-eal-2010>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>