Spongy moth
Mounted Lymantria dispar dispar male
Mounted Lymantria dispar dispar female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Erebidae
Genus:	Lymantria
Species:	L. dispar
Binomial name
Lymantria dispar (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
L. d. dispar (European spongy moth) L. d. asiatica (Asian spongy moth) L. d. japonica (Japanese spongy moth)
Synonyms
Phalaena dispar Linnaeus, 1758 Ocneria dispar (Linnaeus, 1758) Porthetria dispar (Linnaeus, 1758)

A Lymantria dispar caterpillar

Lymantria dispar, renamed spongy moth in 2022, formerly gypsy moth, is a species of moth in the Erebidae family. It has subspecies, for example L. d. dispar and L. d. japonica. Lymantria dispar has become an introduced species. It is from Europe, Africa, and Asia, but humans brought it to North America and South America by accident. The larvae (caterpillars) can eat the leaves off broad-leaved and the needles off pine-like trees. The catarpillars can damage trees and forests badly. Lymantria dispar is listed among the world's 100 most invasive alien species.