66.009 BF1639

Pine-tree Lappet Dendrolimus pini

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Wingspan 45-70 mm.

Until recently, this species was only a rare vagrant to the south coast and Channel Islands, with a couple of old records, followed by a handful of records from the southern counties and Channel Islands between 1996 and 2003. A larva which apparently was found in Essex in 1999 on a pine tree imported from Italy was bred out to produce a female.

However, in 2007 the species was found apparently resident in small numbers at Inverness, Scotland, and appears to have colonised this small area, though it is not known whether these had been present for some time.

As the name implies, the foodplants are mainly various species of pine (Pinus), and the species can be a pest in parts of Europe.