An epizootic by a new nucleopolyhedrovirus variant on the Pale tussock larvae (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) in oriental beech forest

Dasychira pudibunda is a defoliating forest pest, and it caused an outbreak in oriental beech forests in Bursa, Turkey, in 2019. Examination of collected dead larvae revealed that the body contents were liquefied as in baculovirus infections. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the isolate had many nucleocapsids in an envelope in the occlusion bodies. The isolate was named Dasychira pudibunda nucleopolyhedrovirus-T1 (DapuNPV-T1). Host range studies showed that DapuNPV-T1 was virulent to lymantriid insects. The fact that few pests were found in the surveys conducted in the region between 2020-2022 shows that the epidemic was suppressed seriously by DapuNPV-T1 in 2019.