Japanese Journal of Systematic Entomology, 25 (2): 129–131. December 30, 2019. Host Plant and Larva of Nygmia staudingeri (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) Hiroyuki YOSHITOMI 1) and Kemrio OZAKI 2) 1) Ehime University Museum, Bunkyo 3, Matsuyama, 790-8577 Japan E-mail: [email protected] 2) Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba, 955-2 Aoba-cho, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8682 Japan Abstract The larva of Nygmia staudingeri (Leech, [1889]) was discovered from mistletoe. A short description of the larva with biological notes is given in this paper. Introduction died in May); 2 last instar larvae & 1 pupa, 13. VI. 2017, H. Yoshitomi leg. (reared but died in July); eggs and hatched The larvae of urticating moths (Lepidoptera, Lymantriidae) larvae (Fig. 4), 4. X. 2017, H. Yoshitomi observed; 1 last are known to be very harmful and medically important instar larva (Fig. 9), 12. VI. 2019, H. Yoshitomi leg. All (Ogata, 1958b; Kawamoto et al., 1978). The larva possesses the larvae and pupae were collected from Viscum album L. urticating venomous spicules that are easily removable. The subsp. coloratum Kom. parasitizing Celtis sinensis Pers. var. removed spicules are also attached to the pupa and adult, and japonica (Planch.) Nakai. the eggs are covered with anal tuft hairs of the adult moth including venomous spicules (Ogata, 1958b). The following Larval description and biological notes ten lymantrid moths in Japan are known to be venomous (Kawamoto & Kumada, 1984; Kano & Shinonaga, 1997): Short description of larva Nygmia staudingeri (Leech, [1889]), N. curvata (Wileman, Last instar larva (Figs. 8–9). Body length about 45–50 1911), Artaxa subflava (Brumer, 1864), A. sakaguchii mm. Head capsule black. Prespicular verrucae on T1 red in (Matsumura, 1927), Kidokuga piperita (Oberthür, 1880), K. apical part, black in basal part, bearing long black setae. White torasan (Holland, 1889), Sphrageidus similis (Fuessly, 1775), minute scales scattered on dorsal surface of body. Middorsal Orvasca taiwana (Shiraki, 1913), Somena pulverea (Leech, gland on A6–A7 orange. Dorsal hair tuft on A1–A2 and A8 [1889]), and Arna pseudoconspersa (Strand, 1914). Of these, short, brown. the larvae and host plants of eight species have been known, Immature larva (Figs. 5–7). Body length about 30 mm. but the immature stages of two species of the genus Nygmia Following characteristics are different from the last instar have not been described. larva: prespicular verrucae on T1 fully red, lateral verrucae on Nygmia staudingeri (Fig. 1) was described from thorax and abdomen red. Yokohama, Japan (Leech, 1888 [1889]) and has been recorded from Japan (Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu), Taiwan, China, and Differential diagnosis Nepal (Kishida, 2011). The adults emerge in July to August This larva differs from other Japanese lymantriid larvae and September to October (Kishida, 2011). Ogata (1958a) by the absence of hair pencils, yellow and blue middorsal briefly noted that the host plant of this species was Celtis stripe on A3–A7, and large size (Kishida, 2011). This larva is sinensis Pers. var. japonica (Planch.) Nakai, but this record similar to the larva of Nygmia edwardsii (Balit et al., 2001) contained erroneous facts. Therefore, the host plant and larval but differs from the latter by the following characteristics: habit of this species are still unknown. prespicular verrucae red (black in N. edwardsii), dorsal hair In this paper, we report the larva of Nygmia staudingeri tuft on A1–A2 and A8 brown (black in N. edwardsii), and collected from mistletoe. middorsal stripe on A3–A7 yellow and blue (white stripe in N. edwardsii). Material examined Biological notes [Chiba Pref.] Chiharadai-nishi, Ichihara-shi (Fig. 3): 7 last instar larvae, 8. VI. 2017, K. Ozaki leg. (pupated 1 ex. on 10. The host plant of this species is mistletoe Viscum album VI. 2017, 5 exs. on 12. VI. 2017, 1 ex. on 13. VI. 2017; 1 ex. L. subsp. coloratum Kom. (Santalaceae) parasitizing Chinese (Fig. 1) emerged on 3. VII. 2017 but others died); Shimogori, hackberry, Celtis sinensis Pers. var. japonica (Planch.) Nakai. Kisarazu-shi: over 10 last instar larvae, 9. VI. 2017, K. Ozaki In Japan, the mistletoe is parasitic to various deciduous observed. All the larvae were collected from Viscum album L. broad-leaved tree species including Celtis sinensis Pers. var. subsp. coloratum Kom. parasitizing Celtis sinensis Pers. var. japonica (Planch.) Nakai., Zelkova serrata (Thunb.) Makino, japonica (Planch.) Nakai. Prunus spp., Quercus spp., and Fagus spp. Eggs are laid [Ehime Pref.] Ishitegawa, Matsuyama-shi: 16 immature linearly on the mistletoe branch and are covered with yellow larvae (Figs. 5–7), 2. IV. 2014, H. Yoshitomi leg. (reared but anal tuft hairs from the adult moth (Fig. 4). Eggs hatch in Ⓒ Japanese Society of Systematic Entomology 130 Yoshitomi, H. and K. Ozaki Figs. 1–10. Nygmia staudingeri. 1, Emerged adult; 2, rash caused by larva; 3, Viscum album damaged by larvae; 4, eggs, arrows indicate hatching larvae; 5, immature larvae; 6, immature larva in dorsal view; 7, immature larva in lateral view; 8–9, last instar larva in dorso- lateral view; 10, cocoon. December 30, 2019, JJSE 25 (2) Host plant and larva of Nygmia staudingeri 131 autumn (Fig. 4) and overwintering occurs in immature larvae References forming small groups on branches (Fig. 5). Mature larvae Balit, C.R., H.C. Ptolemy, M.J. Geary, R.C. Russell, & G.K. act independently but sometimes swarm around the base of Isbister, 2001. Outbreak of caterpillar dermatitis caused by a mistletoe stem (Fig. 3). The larvae feed on leaves as well airborne hairs of the mistletoe browntail moth (Euproctis as the epidermis and cortex of branches. Pupation occurs on edwardsi). The Medical Journal of Australia, 175: 641–643. mistletoe branches, and the pupal period is about 9 days (Fig. Briggs, J., 2011. Mistletoe (Viscum album); a brief review of its 10). local status with recent observations on its insect associations In field and rearing conditions, we sustained a serious and conservation problems. Proceedings of the Cotteswold rash not only from direct contact with the larvae but also from Naturalists’ Field Club, XLV (II): 181–193. Dunlop, K. & S. Freeman, 1997. Caterpillar dermatitis. airborne larval hairs (Fig. 2). Australasian Journal of Dermatology, 38: 193–195. Kano, R. & S. Shinonaga, 1997. Venomous and Noxious Discussion Arthropods of Japan. 389 pp., Tokai University Press. Kawamoto, F. & N. Kumada, 1984. Biology and venoms of Fauna on mistletoe has been well documented in Europe Lepidoptera. In: Tu, A.T. (Ed.), Handbook of Natural Toxins, (Briggs, 2011) but insufficiently in Japan. Five species of Insect Poisons, Allergens and other invertebrate venoms, vol. 2, Sternorrhyncha were reported from mistletoe (Yoshitomi & pp. 291–332. Takana, 2015), but three of them are polyphagous. Ozaki & Kawamoto, F., C. Suto, & N. Kumada, 1978. Studies on the Sakaino (2017) reported the larva of Homona magnanima venomous spicules and spines of moth caterpillars. I. Fine Diakonoff, 1948 (Tortricidae) was collected from mistletoe. structure and development of the venomous spicules of the This record is the first of a lepidopteran insect feeding on Euproctis caterpillars. Japanese Journal of Medical Science and Biology, 31: 291–299. mistletoe in Japan, but this moth is polyphagous. Nygmia Kishida, Y., 2011. Lymantriidae. Pp. 139–147, pls. 13-14. In staudingeri is the first lepidopteran monophagous species Kishida, Y. (ed.): The Standard of Moths in Japan, 2. 416 pp., using mistletoe as a host plant in Japan. Gakken Education Publishing, Tokyo. The mistletoe browntail moth (Nygmia edwardsii), Leech, J.H., 1888 [1889]. On the Lepidoptera of Japan and Corea. distributed in south-eastern Australia, causes serious dermatitis – Part II. Heterocera. Sect. I. Proceedings of the Zoological (Dunlop & Freeman, 1997; Balit et al., 2001). The host plants Society of London, 1888: 580–655, pls. 30–32. of this species are “mistletoe” Amyema spp. (Loranthaceae). Ogata, K., 1958a. Studies on the Far Eastern urticating moth, Mistletoe (sensu lato) includes many Santalaceous and Euproctis flava Bremer, as a pest of medical importance I. Morphological notes. Sanitary Zoology, 9 (3): 116–129. (In Loranthaceous parasitic plants. Notably, both host plants of Japanese.) Nygmia edwardsii and N. staudingeri are “mistletoe”. Ogata, K., 1958b. Studies on the Far Eastern urticating moth, Euproctis flava Bremer, as a pest of medical importance Acknowledgements II. Ecological notes. Sanitary Zoology, 9 (4): 203–227. (In Japanese.) We thank Dr. A. Saito, Mr. H. Murakami, Mr. Y. Inaoka, Ozaki, K. & K. Sakaino, 2017. [Homona magnanima eating and Mr. H. Tedo for the opportunity to start this study, and mistletoe]. Boso-no-Konchu, (59): 57–58. (In Japanese.) Dr. Y. Kishida and Dr. U. Jimbo for checking the draft and Yoshitomi, H. & H. Tanaka, 2015. Three scale insect species giving useful advices. We are also grateful to Dennis Murphy collected from mistletoe. Rostria, (58): 41–43. (In Japanese.) (the United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Ehime University) for his critical reading of the manuscript. [Received: September 30, 2019; accepted: October 25, 2019] December 30, 2019, JJSE 25 (2).