Thermal sensitivity of gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) during larval and pupal development

As global temperatures rise, thermal limits play an increasingly important role in determining the persistence and spread of invasive species. Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L. Lepidotera: Erebidae) in North America provides an ideal system for studying the effect of high temperatures on invasive species performance. Here, we used fluctuating temperature regimes and exposed gypsy moth at specific points in development (first–fourth instar, pupa) to cycles of favorable(22–28°C) or high-temperature treatments 030–36°C, 32–38°C, 34–40°C) for either 2 or 7 d. We measured survival, growth, and prolonged effects of exposure on development time and pupal mass. Survival generally decreased as the experimental temperature treatment and duration of exposure increased for all instars and pupae, with a narrow threshold for lethal effects. In response to increasing temperature and magnified by longer exposure times, growth abruptly declined for third instars and development time increased for pupae. F...