Leopard Moth

Zeuzera pyrina (Linnaeus, 1761) is a wood-boring moth in Cossidae. Its distinctive white-and-dark adult pattern gives rise to the English name leopard moth. [2][1]

White, elongate forewings carry numerous bluish-black spots; six prominent dark spots mark the hairy white thorax. At rest, the narrow wings cover the body. [4]

The ventral abdomen typically bears a continuous black stripe. Dark spots along the forewing’s leading edge are closely spaced. [5]

In Britain the moth occupies woodland, gardens and orchards and is more frequent in the south. Its larvae live inside deciduous trees rather than feeding externally on their foliage. [2]

In the French forestry account, females deposit small egg batches in bark crevices during summer. Young larvae begin in buds and shoots, then make two to five moves into stems of increasing diameter. By autumn they enter thicker branches or trunks and excavate vertical galleries for winter. [1]

The French host account lists poplars and willows as usual hosts, with oak, ash, beech and maple also attacked. Larvae feed within the wood and pith. [1]

In France adults fly from June to August. Before emergence, the pupal casing moves towards the opening and may remain protruding from the exit hole. [1]

A larva inside a young trunk can hollow out its principal axis, causing breakage or death. In older trees attacks weaken branches and reduce growth. [1]

A specimen in London’s Natural History Museum bears a label recording collection by Richard Owen in his Richmond garden in July 1873. The museum’s digitisation team recognised this personal collecting record in 2022. [3]

Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.