Zeuzera pyrina, the leopard moth or wood leopard moth, is a moth of the family Cossidae. It is found primarily in Europe but also in northern Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco) and Asia (Taiwan, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey). It was introduced into the northeastern United States prior to 1879 and has a range extending from Maine to Pennsylvania.

This is a highly distinctive species with a very furry white thorax marked with six black spots and heavily spotted white wings. The wingspan is 35–60 mm. The moth flies from June to September depending on the location.

The caterpillars feed on various deciduous trees and shrubs (see list below), feeding internally for two or three years in the stems and branches before emerging to pupate under the bark. It can be a pest of fruit production.

Recorded food plants

Acer
Aesculus
Amelanchier
Broussonetia
Carya
Castanea
Celtis
Ceratonia
Cotoneaster
Crataegus
Cydonia
Fagus
Fraxinus
Ilex
Juglans
Ligustrum
Liquidambar
Liriodendron
Lonicera
Malus
Olea
Prunus
Punica
Pyrus
Quercus
Rhododendron
Ribes
Robinia
Rubus
Salix
Syringa
Tilia
Ulmus
Viburnum
Subspecies

Zeuzera biebingeri is treated as a subspecies of Z. pyrina by some sources, but is mostly treated as a valid species.

Zeuzera.pyrina.7336.jpg
01 Zeuzera pyrina.jpg
Zeuzera pyrina.png

Illustration from John Curtis's British Entomology Volume 5

General references

Vlindernet (Dutch)
Skinner, Bernard (1984). Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles. Viking Press. p. 3. ISBN 0-670-80354-5.
Waring, Paul; Townsend, Martin (2003). Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 0-9531399-2-1.

source - Wikipedia