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Pine Processionary

Thaumetopoea pityocampa

Classification

Class
Insecta

The pine processionary (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) is a moth of the subfamily Thaumetopoeinae in the family Notodontidae, known for the irritating hairs of its caterpillars, their processions, and the economic damage they cause in coniferous forests. The species was first described scientifically by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775, though it was known to the ancients, with remedies described by Theophrastus, Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder. Its processionary behaviour was described in 1916 by the French entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre.

Distribution

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Countries in the Picchu catalog
Spain · 3,115France · 1,741Italy · 501Switzerland · 171Germany · 3Belgium · 1Netherlands · 1