PATHOGENICITY OF ANUCLEAR POLYHEDROSIS VIRUS TO FOREST TENT CATERPILLAR, MALACOSOMA DISSTRIA (HÜBNER) (LEPIDOPTERA: LASIOCAMPIDAE)

Abstract

The forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria Hiibner, is widely distributed throughout North America and is subject to a variety of naturally occurring infectious diseases, including a nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV). NPVs have been isolated from several Malacosoma species in North America and Europe, including M. disstria, M. neustria, M. americanum, M. fragile, M. alpicola, M. californicum, M. pluviale, and M. constrictum (Stairs 1964). The viruses isolated from all North American species of Malacosoma may be cross transmitted from one species to another (Clark 1958). Distinctive isolates of NPV have been characterized from populations of M. disstria in Alberta (Keddie and Erlandson 1995) and Ontario (Ebling and Kaupp 1995).