Abstract
STERLING, P. H. & SPEIGHT, M. R., 1989. Comparative mortalities of the brown-tail moth, Euproctis chrysorrhoea (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), in south-east England. The mortalities within natural infestations of the brown-tail moth were investigated from 1982–1984 in four sites in south-east England. Mortality agents were quantified from field and laboratory assessments. Microsporidial disease was the most important factor, causing 91.9% mortality in large larvae in one population; cytoplasmic and nuclear polyhedrosis viruses were present, but not significant. Many species of parasitoid were recorded, particularly at the end of the larval and in the pupal stages; however, combined parasitoid mortality was low. Predators were also of little importance, although cuckoos were found to take up to 19.3% of pupae at one site. Changes in density of larvae in the spring were more strongly influenced by dispersal following defoliation than by any particular mortality agent in most cases. In terms of biological control, diseases offer the greatest potential for development.
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