Lepidoptera-decline

Guides

• Compsilura concinnata

  European Tachinid Fly

  Compsilura concinnata is a polyphagous tachinid fly native to Europe that was introduced to North America in 1906 as a biological control agent for the spongy moth (Lymantria dispar). It is an endoparasitoid of insect larvae, developing within the host midgut and eventually killing it. The species attacks over 200 host species across Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Hymenoptera, but has proven ineffective against its intended target while causing significant non-target impacts on native Lepidoptera, including giant silk moths and monarch butterflies.

  biological-controlinvasive-speciesparasitoidnon-target-effectstachinidforest-entomologyconservation-concernmultivoltineovoviviparousgeneralist-parasitoidLepidoptera-declinetritrophic-interactions