Where are the Cecropia Moths?

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PAHerper1
Posts: 23
Joined: August 1st, 2010, 12:48 pm
Location: SE Pennsylvania

Where are the Cecropia Moths?

Post by PAHerper1 »

I was just curious if anybody sees Cecropia Moths anymore. I live in SE PA and travel up and down the east coast and have not seen a Cecropia Moth, or even a cocoon in years. I remember when I was young always finding cocoons. I don't really go out of my way to look for insects anymore, as in my adult life I have taken on a more active interest in herps, but I am still out in the field very frequently and would think I would run into them from time to time. To be honest, the only giant silk moths that I see on a regular basis are Imperial Moths, Io Moths, Luna Moths, and Promethia Moths. Does anybody know if there is a decline in Cecropia Moth populations?
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kricket
Posts: 106
Joined: July 7th, 2013, 2:19 pm
Location: Alexandria, VA

Re: Where are the Cecropia Moths?

Post by kricket »

There has been a decline in moths in general and the cecropia moths in particular have been shown to be negatively affected by a parasitoid fly (Compsilura concinnata), which was originally introduced to control gypsy moths. Here's a couple of resources:

Effects of a Biological Control Introduction on Three Nontarget Native Species of Saturniid Moths (behind a paywall, but if you don't have access, PM me and I can get you the PDF)

The effects of Compsilura Concinnata, an introduced generalist Tachinid, on non-target species in North America: A cautionary tale
PAHerper1
Posts: 23
Joined: August 1st, 2010, 12:48 pm
Location: SE Pennsylvania

Re: Where are the Cecropia Moths?

Post by PAHerper1 »

Thanks kricket. When I Googled the title of the paper I was able to find it elsewhere besides the link that you provided. However, I do appreciate you pointing me to the paper as I was not aware of it. I know we need to control these other species, but in the process we sometimes do more damage than good. I was not aware of the introduction of C.concinnata and it is sad to see that it may have had such a negative impact on Cecropia and Promethia Moths. Now that I think about it, the Promethia Moth was another species that I used to find commonly and I have not seen in several years. I hope they can rebound from this but I guess only time will tell. Thanks again for the info.
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