Effect of Chilling Temperature on Survival and Post-Diapause Development of Korean Population of Lymantria dispar asiatica (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) Eggs

Abstract

One of the subspecies of the Eurasian spongy moth, Lymantria dispar asiatica, is a destructive forest pest in native regions and also an important quarantine pest in non-native regions. Its polyphagous nature, together with occasional outbreaks, may seriously threaten ecosystems and result in costly management programs. In this study, we examined the effect of chilling temperatures (−12, −6, 0, 6, and 12 °C) during the diapause phase on the survival and post-diapause development of L. d. asiatica eggs, collected before winter, in order to characterize their thermal response. The eggs were exposed to treatment temperatures for 100 days, followed by 25 °C incubation to determine their survival and development time. The eggs hatched in all the treatments, indicating that all the examined conditions could partly or sufficiently satisfy the thermal requirement for eggs to enter post-diapause development. However, exposure to chilling temperatures significantly affected both the survival and development times of overwintering eggs in a given temperature range. The survival rates declined at −12 °C, and the development rates accelerated as the chilling temperature increased. This information could offer clues for the assessment of the outbreak potential in native regions and the possibility of range expansion in non-native regions through the consideration of winter conditions that favor L. d. asiatica egg hatching and their subsequent development.