Oak processionary: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the oak processionary lives – recorded in 10 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Thaumetopoea processionea
Group	Butterflies & moths
Found in	10 countries
Continents	Europe
Class	Insect
Order	Lepidoptera
Family	Notodontidae

Where does the oak processionary live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the oak processionary in 10 countries and territories across Europe. In Belgium, United Kingdom, Netherlands it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the oak processionary?

The oak processionary (Thaumetopoea processionea) is an insect in the order Lepidoptera and the family Notodontidae, genus Thaumetopoea. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the oak processionary

The oak processionary (OPM) (Thaumetopoea processionea) is a moth whose caterpillars can be found in oak forests, where they feed on oak leaves, causing significant damage. They travel in nose-to-tail processions (hence their name), often arrow-headed, with a leader followed by rows of several caterpillars abreast. They are a human irritant because of their venomous setae (specifically urticating hairs), which can cause skin irritation and asthma. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Oak processionary (revision 1374012912), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q261008 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).