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Eribidae : Lymantriinae

Brown-tail

EUPROCTIS chrysorrhoea (Linnaeus, 1758)
Picture
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
Description
Wingspan: Male 36-42mm : Female - 39-41mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe to Iran and N Africa
UK Distribution: England - usualy coastal species found from Hampshire to Suffolk & west to Cornwall & Scilly Isles.Increasing inland to N Hampshire and west along Thames Valley.Further north only small numbers recorded.Channel Isles - widespread and abundant.
UK Conservation Status -
  • Local = 101 - 300-10km squares
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Phalaena (Bombyx) chrysorrhoea (Linnaeus, 1758)
Type Species - Euproctis
  • Phalaena chrysorrhoea (Linnaeus, 1758)
Type Locality -
  • Europe - no location specified
Flight Period: June or July to August (possible second generation in October)
Habitat: Coastal scrub : Gardens : Parks : Hedgerows
Similar Species -
Yellow-tail Euproctis similis (Fuessly, 1775)
Ova: The ova are deposited in batches and are covered in fine hairs from the female's abdomen
Larva: The larvae live gregariously in a silken communal web produced on Hawthorn or suchlike where they can be seen sunning themselves on the outside of the web during hot sunny days. The 40mm final instar larva is covered in fine long hairs which if touched cause irritataion and a rash on exposed human skin. The larva viewed from the side is blackish brown with a white lateral line made up of white dashes at each abdominal segment.Viewed from above there are two red spots towards the rear of the larva.Larval webs are a common winter sight along the coast where they are usually found on Hawthorn.
Pupa: Pupates in a cocoon formed amongst foliage
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: The moth usually has silky pure white forewings but occasioanlly in the male there are a few black dots adjacent to the dorsum.The male abdomen is chocolate brown brown towards the tip but is white towards the base and the antennae is strongly feathered.The female has a dark brownish abdomen with a large bulbous dark brown tuft of hair at the tip which she uses to cover the deposited ova.
Like the Yellow-tail the female arches her abdomen into view when disturbed.
The Yellow-tail has similar white forewings but as there name suggests the tip of the abdomen is yellow rather than brown.

Although this moth is considered a coastal species it is extending its range further inland.

The moth is attracted to light.
Photo Gallery
Larva
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website where further information like photos,physical characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
  • Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
Larval Food Plants
Taxonomy
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Type Species - EUPROCTIS:

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Forms:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuoidea
Erebidae
Lymantriinae
Nygmiini
EUPROCTIS Hübner, 1819
Euproctis chrysorrhoea (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Phalaena chrysorrhoea (Linnaeus, 1758)
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PHALAENA (Bombyx) chrysorrhoea (Linnaeus, 1758)
= Phalaena (Bombyx) auriflua Esper, 1785
= Bombyx phaeorrhoeus Haworth, 1803
= Bombyx phaeorrhoea Donovan, 1813
= Nygmia phaeorrhoea
= Arctornis chrysorrhoea
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Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.502 - n.28
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Europe - no location specified
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E.c.f.punctella Strand, 1910 - additional black points on forewings
E.c.f.puntigera Teich,1889 - male,even more abundant
E.c.f.fuscabdominata Lempke, 1959 - abdomen dark brown to balckish brown at apex