SURVIVORSHIP, DEVELOPMENT, AND FECUNDITY OF BUCK MOTH (LEPIDOPTERA, SATURNIIDAE) ON COMMON TREE SPECIES IN THE GULF-COAST URBAN FOREST

Hemileuca maia maia (Drury), the buck moth, is abundant in urban areas of the Gulf Coast region where it defoliates oaks. However, the exten t to which the buck moth can survive on other tree species common in t he southern urban forest has not been reported. In the laboratory, we studied the suitability and acceptability to larvae of 14 common tree species in New Orleans and determined the extent to which larvae were able to snitch to species other than oak midway in their development. Larvae had greater survival, pupal weight, and fecundity, as well as r educed development time, on live oak, water oak, black oak and black c herry than on green ash, sugarberry, sweetgum, fed maple, a deciduous ornamental magnolia, American bully, tallow tree, crapemyrtle, mulberr y, and black willow. Larvae showed some ability to switch from oak to some nan-oak species, but fecundity, pupal weights, and development ti me were affected as assessed From the time of switch. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of outbreak dynamics of the math in urban forests.