3 
ORIGINAL HOME AND DISTRIBUTION. 
The leopard moth, like so many other dangerous pests, is a European 
species which has been introduced into the United States in com- 
paratively recent years. Its old world distribution is credited as 
central and southern Europe, southern Sweden, southwestern Africa, 
Algeria, and northern Morocco, and the western portion of Asia Minor. 
This species was introduced into the United States some time 
prior to 1879, in which year, on the authority of Mr. Jacob Doll, a 
living moth was captured in a spider’s web at Hoboken, N. J.2. In 
1884 Dr. E. B. Southwick, then entomologist of the public parks of 
New York City, recognized the destructive work of this species in 
Central Park. In 1887 it was seen at Newark, N. J., but was not 
actually recorded as occurring in this country until the following 
year. In 1890 the junior author observed the moths at electric lights 
at Orange, N. J. 
Fortunately the spread of this insect, particularly in the immediate 
vicinity of New York City, has been very slow, a fact which may be 
attributed to several causes, (1) the slowness of the flight of the 
female, (2) the dominance of sparrows in large cities, causing our 
native birds, such as woodpeckers, to be driven to the country, where 
they destroy the moths, and (3) the bowl-shaped electric-light globes, 
hollow at the top and closed at the bottom, which were formerly in 
general use in our large cities. The males are strongly attracted to 
brilliant lights and many were captured and perished in these globes 
in earlier years. Other cities in New Jersey where this species has 
been troublesome are Elizabeth, Irvington, Montclair, Arlington, 
Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, and New Brunswick. Mr. H. M. Russell 
of this Bureau collected specimens at Bridgeport, Conn., in 1901. 
The species is now an inhabitant also of Staten Island and has spread 
on Long Island well beyond the confines of greater New York. South- 
ward it was reported a pest, in 1901, at Ocean Grove, N. J., and by 
1905 it was recorded by Felt as occurring at Kensico, N. Y., 25 miles 
north of New York City. By 1907 it was captured at New Haven, 
Conn., by Prof. H. W. Foote. It is now stated to be injurious in the 
vicinity of Boston, Mass. 
FOOD PLANTS. 
In its original home the leopard moth is recorded as living on a 
considerable number of common trees, including elm, lime or linden, 
ash, beech, birch, walnut, oak, chestnut, poplar, alder, and, rarely, 
horse-chestnut. Among orchard trees it is reported to do injury to 
pear, apple, and plum. In the United States it attacks all of these 
a Entomological News, March, 1904, p. 110. 6 Insect Life, Vol. VII, p. 138. 
[Cir. 109] 
