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Giant wood moth

Giant wood moth exit hole
Emergence hole of the giant wood moth, a stem borer pest of hardwood plantation trees in southeastern Queensland.
Larva of the giant wood moth in a hardwood stem
Giant wood moth larva in a feeding tunnel.


General information

Plantation productivity can be affected by giant wood moth attacks, which weaken trees and makes them susceptible to wind-break. Giant wood moth damage also causes significant reduction in the quality of harvested logs. The moth atttacks trees over three years old.

Scientific name

Endoxyla cinereus
Description
  • the larvae are large, up to 10 cm long and 2-3 cm wide, creamy with pinkish stripes and a brown head, and tunnel in sapwood and heartwood while feeding
  • adults are large with a wingspan of 25 cm but are rarely seen
  • the first sign of activity in a tree is often a pile of coarse frass (similar to sawdust) at the base of the stem
  • the stem around the entrance hole is often swollen
  • the larvae feed singly in J-shaped tunnels in both sapwood and heartwood
  • before the moths emerge in midsummer, a large, circular exit hole (3-5 cm diameter) is formed above the smaller entrance hole, which is often plugged with frass
  • empty pupal cases may be seen protruding from emergence holes during summer.
Distribution
  • found in New South Wales, southeastern to northern Queensland and recorded 200 km inland at Theodore.
Hosts
  • Gympie messmate - Eucalyptus cloeziana
  • rose gum - Eucalyptus grandis and hybrids
  • Dunn's white gum - Eucalyptus dunnii
  • Grey gum - Eucalyptus longirostrata.
Damage
  • tunnels made by the larvae can weaken smaller stems, which can snap in strong winds
  • yellow-tailed black cockatoos tear into stems when feeding on wood moth larvae, further damaging and weakening the tree.
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    Resources

    Author: Susan House
    Page maintained by Susan House
    Last updated 27 April 2009
    URL: http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/cps/rde/xchg/dpi/hs.xsl/cps/rde/dpi/hs.xsl/26_12386_ENA_HTML.htm

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