...and they are pretty. Win Win!

Where does this moth live, or what is the genus and species?

As long as you are 110% certain it doesn't eat anything besides TOH and maybe Pyrus calleryana, Kudzu, or buckthorn...

send them over!

Posted by hairmetal4ever Z7 MD (My Page) on Fri, Oct 24, 14 at 16:29

The problem is that they are not capable of much damage at all to Tree of Heaven. They do not kill any tree. So, I guess this is just for laughs.

Beautiful moth!

Darn this got my hopes up until I read jujujojo's comment.

jujujojo - can we assume your moth is found in China?

There is a species found here in N America that feeds on Tree of Heaven, called the Ailanthus Webworm. But it also causes relatively insignificant damage.

Here is a link that might be useful: ailanthus webworm moth

â¢Posted by arbordave S-E MI (My Page) on Sun, Oct 26, 14 at 13:56

Thank you for your knowledgeable post. That webworm is a beautiful moth.

How nice - we'd have just as many Ailanthus trees, only they'd be defaced and uglier.

Fabulous solution!

Finally got an ID on this insect: Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), native to China, but recently discovered in the U.S. (see link).

Not a moth, but a true bug (family Hemiptera).

Apparently prefers Ailanthus, but will eat other plants as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spotted Lanternfly

Here is a link to the pest alert from PA.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spotted Lanternfly Pest Alert

It's funny how inappropriate the thread title is now after we've learned a little bit more about this insect....

â¢Posted by arbordave S-E MI (My Page) on Mon, Dec 1, 14 at 13:12

â¢Posted by smivies z5b ontario (My Page) on Mon, Dec 1, 14 at 18:18

Carefully examine the links of arbor Dave, it is clear that the spotted lantern fly is native to Japan, India, Vietnam, China and the Philippines. Most of the "alerts" generated on this bug is from a South Korean study. Since the bug is present in Japan, it is highly unlikely that the bug has not lived in South Korea until the year 2006. Because the bug likes to hide, it is more likely that they were merely recognized and discovered first time in South Korea in the year 2006.

I disagree with the South Korean research. The Tree of Heaven is an irremovable unity in the life cyrcle of this bug. The bug hatches on Tree of Heaven. The bug favors Tree of Heaven. It is an artificial construction to place the young of the bug with widely cultivated fruit plants in order to generate maximum publicity about the research. (It is like imprison Smivies with only men for an extended time ) Where there is no Tree of Heaven, there is no such lantern fly. No, it is not that the more mature bugs are more attracted to Tree of Heaven, rather, the young do not live long without drinking the juice of the Tree of Heaven. So, you cannot see any mature insect in other trees other than the Tree of Heaven. The damage to Tree of Heaven is comparable to those of cicada. It is reported that the Bug can feed and live a while on one close relative of the Tree of Heaven in Asia, though.

Insects in the genus clearly shows concentration/selection of host plants. There is a more prominent pest in the family for tropical Longan trees. But, no, the insect is not a broad spectrum pest. I do not believe this insect is significant in North America.

Also, the lantern fly has an elusive character. I have only naturally seen two live bugs so far, all within the massive woods of Trees of Heavens lining the streets in Asia. Both bugs were ill and were likely about to die.

I am 100% sure Smivies have no experience with this bug. He would be so disappointed if he is hoping another Japanese Beetle.

"I do not believe this insect is significant" doesn't hold much weight with me, especially when there is quite a body of peer reviewed entomology literature that says otherwise.

You are entitled to share your opinions with the forum even if they are based on anecdotal evidence, not scientific evidence. Resorting to what appears to be a personal attack/insult on those who disagree with your opinion is very poor form.

â¢Posted by smivies z5b ontario (My Page) on Wed, Dec 3, 14 at 15:13

Really lol.

@arbordave S-E MI

Carefully examine the links of arbor Dave, it is clear that the spotted lantern fly is native to Japan, India, Vietnam, China and the Philippines. Most of the "alerts" generated on this bug is from a South Korean study. Since the bug is present in Japan, it is highly unlikely that the bug has not lived in South Korea until the year 2006. Because the bug likes to hide, it is more likely that they were merely recognized and discovered first time in South Korea in the year 2006.

I disagree with the South Korean research. The Tree of Heaven is an irremovable unity in the life cyrcle of this bug. The bug hatches on Tree of Heaven. The bug favors Tree of Heaven. It is an artificial construction to place the young of the bug with widely cultivated fruit plants in order to generate maximum publicity about the research. (It is like imprison Smivies with only men for an extended time ) Where there is no Tree of Heaven, there is no such lantern fly. No, it is not that the more mature bugs are more attracted to Tree of Heaven, rather, the young do not live long without drinking the juice of the Tree of Heaven. So, you cannot see any mature insect in other trees other than the Tree of Heaven. The damage to Tree of Heaven is comparable to those of cicada. It is reported that the Bug can feed and live a while on one close relative of the Tree of Heaven in Asia, though.

Insects in the genus clearly shows concentration/selection of host plants. There is a more prominent pest in the family for tropical Longan trees. But, no, the insect is not a broad spectrum pest. I do not believe this insect is significant in North America.

Also, the lantern fly has an elusive character. I have only naturally seen two live bugs so far, all within the massive woods of Trees of Heavens lining the streets in Asia. Both bugs were ill and were likely about to die.

I am 100% sure Smivies have no experience with this bug. He would be so disappointed if he is hoping another Japanese Beetle.

I did look at the links, and I also did a brief literature search on the insect. There are multiple publications out of South Korea, many (but not all) from the same group of researchers. There was no record of the insect in SK prior to 2006, when suddenly it was quite commonly seen (Han et al. 2008). The researchers there point out that the insect's range is limited by cold temperatures, and a recent trend of warmer winters may have allowed it to establish in a new part of Asia (Lee et al. 2011). They clearly are naturally associated with tree-of-heaven, but in SK they have been found to show equally strong preference, as well as equally good development and survival through adulthood, on grape (Vitus vinifera) (JeongEun et al. 2009). This is why they have become a significant pest of vineyards in SK, as they are in the insect's native range in China (Qi et al. 2007).

Jujujojo, there is strong evidence that this insect naturally evolved in a close association with (and dependence on) tree-of-heaven. But as human activity directly or indirectly changes the ranges of plant species, as well as those of pests and pathogens, we are creating new associations - with unexpected results. That's why strict quarantine tests are required before intentionally releasing organisms for biological control of invasive species.

This post was edited by saccharum on Wed, Dec 3, 14 at 22:57

â¢Posted by saccharum z9 FL (My Page) on Wed, Dec 3, 14 at 22:54

Hi Saccharum, I have no disrespect toward South Korea or the study. I have my highest respect toward South Korea.

The reason that I find these interesting is because of their obvious convergent evolution with butterflies and moths. They are the only group of insects, outside the group of butterflies and moths, that have colorful, big and well marked wings.

Example 1 - resembling a butterfly again.
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Example 2 - resembling a moth.
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I have to express a little skepticism about an aspect of the study.

Let me include a map of Japan, the Koreas and China. The red areas are traditional habitats of the insect, literally for millions of years. The greenish yellow area is what the South Korean research claims that the insect is absent prior to 2006.

The size of the greenish yellow area is small. I think it is a little smaller than the US state of Virginia. Geographically, the greenish yellow area is connected to China and Japan by land, islands and the sea. There is no barrier like extremely tall mountains and the areas have very similar climate.

The South Korean paper was to claim that the insects did not occur in the greenish yellow area prior to the year 2006. But then, the insect immediately became well established after the year 2006.

(Disclaimer: the map does not suggest any political belongings of the islands in between the involved nations. I have no knowledge and I do not know well about their belongings to be honest.)

This post was edited by jujujojo on Thu, Dec 4, 14 at 12:40

It's an interesting and pretty insect, that's for sure. Those fulgorids are very cool.

To say that the red areas in your map all represent the historical range of this species is not quite correct. Up until the 1930s, it had been recorded only in three Chinese provinces. Since then, its recorded distribution has expanded to include most of southern China, as well as parts of Vietnam, India, and Japan. See Kim et al. 2013 for a recent study that did a genetic comparison of the different populations, including a discussion of historical distribution.

It's also not true that there is no difference in climate between South Korea and the areas of southern China and Japan where the insect has previously been recorded. South Korea appears to be in a distinctly cooler zone according to historical climate data:
{{gwi:2122549}}

â¢Posted by saccharum z9 FL (My Page) on Thu, Dec 4, 14 at 13:54

Oh, I see. If the data you supply is true, I would have to mostly agree with you then.

However, at the moment, it appears that the chart you give is of title "estimate". A closer examination of the chart does not seem to suggest it a temperature chart. The legend of the chart is too small to read ...

I would also reserve on the data from China before the 70s. Image below, 1930 China:

This post was edited by jujujojo on Thu, Dec 4, 14 at 15:18

Yeah, I'll grant you that the citation given for the pre-1930s distribution is rather shaky (although also rather fascinating), a 1939 publication by a Harvard entomologist (Gaines Liu), reviewing literature that draws from descriptions of specific insects in Chinese sources going back as far as 500 BC!

â¢Posted by saccharum z9 FL (My Page) on Thu, Dec 4, 14 at 15:33

Hi, it appears that the chart you give is of title "estimate". A closer examination of the chart does not seem to suggest it a temperature chart. The legend of the chart is too small to read ... could you give a readable version?

They're climate classifications, based on both temperature and precipitation records. It's broken up first into broad categories (Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Cold, Polar), and then refined into sub-categories.

â¢Posted by saccharum z9 FL (My Page) on Thu, Dec 4, 14 at 17:27

I read your legend and I am a little suspicious now. Do you have a chart showing purely the temperature zones (like the USDA zones) of the region?

Boy talk about the wrong information. The Lantern fly prefers the local Sumac tree to the tree of heaven and it lays it's eggs anywhere it can. They start hatching in early April and have hatching every two weeks. This year I started spraying in April and stopped counting late June at 50,000. They haven't even turned red yet. Now it's middle of August and I've sprayed the continuously twice a day since then. Now their adults. Their simple to kill using two items that are organic right from your kitchen. In fact they can be attracted right off all other trees using Sumac.

Another point. These bugs attack all other trees. All other vines and that means anything green. This is a plague in PA. https://sites.google.com/view/thegardensofease2/lantern-fly-plague