This invasive species appears to have enabled a massive range expansion for the Ailanthus Webworm Moth, so much so that a native North American moth now has a common name based on an invasive species! Ailanthus webworms are slender, brown to almost black, and sometimes have four white dots on the top of each segment. The Ailanthus webworm, Atteva aurea, is an ermine moth now found commonly in the United States. The yellow-orange of this ailanthus webworm moth clashes with the pink sedum flowers completely disrupting the feng shui of this otherwise lovely photo. Print This Page Ailanthus Webworm Moth Common name: Ailanthus webworm Atteva aurea Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Attevidae Genus: Atteva Species: A. aurea It was formerly known under the scientific name Atteva punctella. The web is in an ailanthus sapling growing along the Schuylkill River Trail in Center City. It was formerly known under the scientific name Atteva punctella (see Taxonomy section). 1 Response. Wingspan: .75 to 1.5 inches. The ailanthus tree has its own moth, Atteva aurea, the ailanthus webworm moth. Forewings are orange with white spots outlined in black (these often look like tiny flower patterns). Many butterflies and moths are associated with particular types of food plants, which their caterpillars must eat in order to survive. The ailanthus webworm has not been reported to be resistant to insecticides. So, the Ailanthus Webworm feeds on Ailanthus altissima, or Tree-of-Heaven (you know, the tree in Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brook-lyn"). Ailanthus webworm moth is the lone representative of this genus in North America. Figure 6.1 Ailanthus webworm moth taking nectar at white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima), a common wildflower in Center City.From Ecology of Center City, Philadelphia by Kenneth D. Frank. Cooperative Extension is based at North Carolina's two land-grant institutions, Find local MDC conservation agents, consultants, education specialists, and regional offices. Although most moths are nocturnal, this moth commonly flies during the daytime, and people often see it gathering nectar from flowers in open locations. The colorful adult Ailanthus webworm moth pictured here on a Butterfly Bush (buddleia) is a pollinator. But elsewhere in North America, the caterpillars eat the introduced, invasive tree-of-heaven or ailanthus tree, which is in the same family. 360211.00 – 2401 – Atteva aurea – Ailanthus Webworm Moth – (Fitch, 1856) Photographs are the copyrighted property of each photographer listed. Click to enlarge. The tiny ailanthus webworm is thought to be native to South Florida and the American tropics (south to Costa Rica) ... Ailanthus Webworm Moth ” Mary Louise Eklund. 1. Comments: Previously knowm as A. punctella and A. pustulella, recent research has shown that for the species found in North America the valid name is A. aurea. Ailanthus Webworm (Atteva aurea) caterpillars feed exclusively on the non-native, highly invasive, misleadingly named Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima, family Simaroubaceae). AILANTHUS WEBWORM MOTH Click Here for Complete Library Entry. The moth, now known as ailanthus webworm, occurred no further north than southern Florida, the northern limit of its host, paradise tree. Attracted to light. Go back to the Moths … Adaptive traits that fav or the ailanthus webworm moth include Some thin white and olive-green stripes might show along each side of the abdomen. A Tree Damaged by Fall Webworm. A&T State University. Gerdana caritella → Photos. They spin a frail silken web on the leaves of ailanthus. Many insects have black and bright red, orange, or yellow coloration, and this color combination often corresponds with an ability to sting, or toxicity if eaten. There are a total of [ 378 ] Pennsylvania Moths in the ButterflyIdentification.org database. The webworms are the larval (caterpillar) stage of a beautiful ermine moth (Family Yponomeutidae). Ailanthus webworm is a member of the bagworm moth family. Moths love it too! Ailanthus webworm larvae feed on the nonnative tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) and the leaves of other woody plants and shrubs. When stationary, the insect resembles a true bug or beetle.