brown-tail moth

[ broun-teyl ]
/ ˈbraʊnˌteɪl /

noun

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.
Also called brown·tail.

Origin of brown-tail moth

First recorded in 1775–85

British Dictionary definitions for brown-tail moth

brown-tail moth

noun

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