Brown-tail moth

The upper surface of the wings of this species is pure white. Males may have some brown color on the underside of the forewing. Wingspan is . The body is very hairy and white except for the tail which is covered in reddish-brown hairs, much more prominent in the females. The species overwinters communally as larvae within a tough, silken tent constructed around branch-tip leaves and anchored to twigs. In areas where the species is abundant, these tents are a familiar sight, and can be seen on a huge range of plants, especially in late fall and winter when unaffected leaves have fallen. ==Distribution==

Native This species can be found throughout Europe, except in the most northern countries, also in the westernmost countries of Asia, such as Turkey, Syria and Israel, and the countries across the northern parts of Africa. Charles H. Fernald and Archie H. Kirkland recount historic mentions of brown-tail moths dating back to 1500s, describing outbreaks in Paris, London and Berlin so severe as to completely strip all trees of leaves. Carl Linnaeus described the species in the tenth edition (1758) of Systema Naturae. Through the early parts of the 20th century it was present in much of New England from eastern Connecticut to Maine, and northward into New Brunswick, Canada, but the 1906 introduction of the parasitic tachinid fly Compsilura concinnata to counter spongy moths collaterally impacted brown-tail moths. By the late 20th century the habitat was reduced to the coast and islands of Maine, and also parts of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Cold and wet weather hinders re-expansion of the population outside its current territories, although starting in 2015 there has been a population spike and territory expansion in coastal Maine, from Portland to Bar Harbor. The white-winged adults are nocturnal and strongly attracted to light; a report from 1903 likened their appearance around streetlights as being akin to heavy snowfall. ==Life cycle==

The brown-tail moth produces one generation a year. It has four life stages; egg, larval, pupal, and adult. Eggs are laid in July and hatch in August. The annual cycle is approximately one month as eggs, nine months as larvae, one month as pupae, and one month as imagoes (winged, sexually mature adults). A more recent review, conducted in Spain, identified 17 species of parasites, viral diseases, unspecified predation and other, unknown, causes of death spanning from eggs not hatching, during summer, winter and spring as larvae, finishing with pupae failing to produce winged adults. Generally, mortality increased with population density, although in outbreak regions there was some compensation by females laying 21.6% more eggs (cause not discussed). Compsilura concinnata, a parasitic fly, pierces the brown-tail moth larva and deposits its own larva inside. This fly was introduced to North America in 1906 in an attempt to counter spongy moth, an invasive species. While not entirely successful for that purpose, one research group concluded that introduction of this fly had a great impact on brown-tail moths while not being as effective on spongy moths, the reason being that the fly larvae need to over-winter inside a host larvae. (Brown-tail moths over-winter as larvae, whereas spongy moths over-winter as eggs.) Control Branch-tip webs can be clipped in winter and very early spring, and either dropped into a bucket of soapy water or burned. Gloves should be worn. Appropriate pesticides should be applied before early May because that is when the larvae start to develop harmful hairs. For organic garden and farm situations there are sprays that use a strain of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Réaumur recorded a devastating outbreak in France in 1730 near Paris. An outbreak of caterpillars in London in 1782, when the city was still recovering from the Gordon Riots eighteen months before, caused widespread panic and fears of famine and plague. Contemporary scientists such as William Curtis attempted to calm public fears; it is unclear how much effect this had. ==Health issues==

Cicely Blair wrote a paper about the rash caused by the brown-tail moth caterpillar in the British Isles. It, and other descriptions, confirmed that loose hairs can break off and cause very itchy rashes on contact with skin, as well as breathing difficulties similar to asthma if inhaled. Rashes can persist for weeks. The same symptoms have been reported as far back as 1903. This rash reaction may be referred to as lepidopterism. The species should be handled using protective gloves at all stages of its life cycle. Shed hairs blow about, and can be brought indoors on clothing and shoes, so rashes can occur without the victim coming in direct contact with the caterpillars. The toxins in the hairs remain potent for up to three years after being shed. Outdoor activities such as mowing a lawn or raking leaves in the fall can cause exposure. In addition to brown-tail and mistletoe browntail, several other Euproctis species are identified as causing rashes in humans, including Euproctis baliolalis, Euproctis limbalis and Euproctis lutea (all three native to Australia). Urticating hairs, i.e., itch and rash-producing, are also reported for caterpillars of other moth and butterfly species. ==Host plants==

Brown-tail larvae have been reported as feeding on 26 genera of non-resinous trees and shrubs belonging to 13 different families. This polyphagy is considered unusual. Non-specific host plant feeding combined with its tendency to reach extreme outbreak densities makes this species a major pest of fruit orchards, ornamental trees and hardwood forests. Partial list of plant species: apple, cherry, beach plum (Cape Cod, Massachusetts), beech, elm, grape, hops, maple, oak, pear, raspberry, rose and willow, and even conifers like spruce and hemlock. An early description of the introduction to the United States in the 1890s identified pear and apple trees as most greatly afflicted, but mentioned that once trees were entirely bare of leaves, the larvae would descend to the ground in great numbers and move toward any leafy plant, including vegetable plants. A population explosion on Orford Ness, Suffolk, Uk in 2023-2024 has denuded wild bramble/blackberry bushes. ==Gallery==

File:Euproctis chrysorrhoea (Brown-tail), Texel, the Netherlands.jpg|Oviposition of hair-covered egg mass containing 200-400 eggs File:Euproctis chrysorrhoea-posta.jpg|Egg mass covered with brown hairs from body of the egg-laying female File:Euproctis chrysorrhoea (caterpillar) R.H (16).JPG|The protective communal silken tent. Created in the fall, the larvae over-winter inside, emerging in spring. File:Goldafter Gespinst.jpg|Group of larvae on branch-tip nest. Once larvae reach late instars, colonies break up and larvae feed independently. File: Lymantriidae - Euproctis chrysorrhoea.JPG|Caterpillar, dorsal view, showing two red dots toward tail end that differentiate it from other hairy caterpillars == References ==