brown-tail moth

American  

[broun-teyl] / ˈbraʊnˌteɪl /

noun

1. a white moth, Nygmia phaerrhoea, having a brown tuft at the end of the abdomen, the larvae of which feed on the foliage of various shade and fruit trees.

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brown-tail moth British  

noun

1. a small brown-and-white European moth, Euproctis phaeorrhoea , naturalized in the eastern US where it causes damage to shade trees: family Lymantriidae (or Liparidae ) See also tussock moth

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Etymology

Origin of brown-tail moth

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

In Europe the brown-tail moth and the gypsy moth produce continuously a certain amount of damage to the trees, but their parasitic enemies have developed with them and check their increase.

From Disease and Its Causes by Councilman, William Thomas

The insects usually legislated against are San Jose scale, gypsy moth and brown-tail moth, while the diseases usually interdicted are yellows, black knot, peach rosette, and pear blight.

From The Young Farmer: Some Things He Should Know by Hunt, Thomas Forsyth