page_title: Lymantria dispar dispar
section_title: Larvae
hierarchical_section_title: Lymantria dispar dispar / Life cycle / Larvae
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Raupe des Schwammspinner, auf einem Blatt Papier am Fuße einer Eiche. English: Caterpillar of Gypsy Moth, on a sheet of paper at the bottom of an oak tree Français: Chenille de Bombyx disparate, sur un feuille de papier au pied d'un chêne
context_page_description: Lymantria dispar dispar, commonly known as the gypsy moth, European gypsy moth, or North American gypsy moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae that is of Eurasian origin. It has a range that extends over Europe, Africa, and North America.
  Carl Linnaeus first described the species Lymantria dispar in 1758. The subject of classification has changed throughout the years, resulting in confusion surrounding the species' taxonomy. This caused many references to describe this one species in different ways. The family has jumped between Lymantriidae, Noctuidae and Erebidae. Lymantria dispar dispar has been designated a subspecies of Lymantria dispar.
  It is classified as a pest, and its larvae consume the leaves of over 500 species of trees, shrubs and plants. The gypsy moth is one of the most destructive pests of hardwood trees in the eastern United States. It is listed as one of the 100 most destructive invasive species worldwide.
context_section_description: Larvae (caterpillars) emerge from egg masses in the spring. Most larvae hatch within a week, but can take as long as a month. The new larvae remain on or near the egg cluster if they hatch in rainy weather or if the temperature is below 7 °C. The larva will disperse even if there is enough foliage for growth, hanging from silk threads and waiting for the wind to send them aloft. The larva are about 3 mm long when they first hatch and will grow to 50 or 90 mm.
  The larva will first feed on the leaf hairs and then move onto the leaf epidermis. Feeding occurs in the daytime, primarily in the morning and late afternoon. As the larva grow, the feeding becomes a nocturnal activity. When not eating, the larva will remain on the underside of the leaf and make a mat of silk for attachment.
  To grow, the larva must molt. Larva are characterized by the term instar, which refers to the number of times a larva has molted; a first-instar larva has not yet molted, a second instar has molted once, a third instar twice, etc. Males typically are five instars and females are six instars. When the larvae reach the fourth instar, they become nocturnal feeders, and will return to their resting places at dawn, hiding under flaps of bark, in crevices, or under branches - any place that provides protection.
  Newly hatched larvae are black with long, hair-like setae. Older larvae have five pairs of raised blue spots and six pairs of raised brick-red spots along their backs, and a sprinkling of setae. As the larval stage comes to an end they cease feeding and surround themselves in a silken net.
caption: Gypsy moth caterpillar
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