Box Tree Moth
Cydalima perspectalis
By eating toxic boxwood leaves, the caterpillars store noxious alkaloids in their bodies, making them highly unpalatable to native birds.
- Scientific name
- Cydalima perspectalis
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Crambidae › Cydalima
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests, gardens, parks, and suburban landscapes containing boxwood shrubs.
- Diet
- Caterpillars feed voraciously on Boxwood (Buxus) leaves and bark; adults drink flower nectar.
- Range
- East Asia (Native), Europe (Invasive), North America (Invasive)
- Size
- Wingspan of 3.6 to 4.4 cm; caterpillars reach up to 4 cm in length.
- Lifespan
- 30 to 45 days (from egg to adult death)
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Targeted eradication, chemical insecticides, and biological control agents such as predatory wasps and specialized bacterial sprays.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans. You can safely observe or handle this moth. However, because it is a highly destructive invasive pest in Europe and North America, sightings should be reported to local agricultural extension offices or environmental agencies to help save native boxwood plants.
Cydalima perspectalis or the box tree moth is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It is native to eastern Asia (Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, the Russian Far East and India). It is an introduced species in Europe, first recorded in Germany in 2006, and subsequently in Switzerland and the Netherlands in 2007, Great Britain in 2008, France and Austria in 2009, Hungary in 2011, Romania and Turkey. It is also known from Slovakia, Belgium...
Photo: nbasargin, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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