The brown-tailed moth (Eproctis chrysorrhoea) is a moth of the family Ereidae. It is native to Europe, eight native countries in Asia, and the northern coast of Africa. Descriptions of ootbreaks, that is, large population increases over several years, have been reported since the 1500s. The moth’s life cycle is atypical, lasting approximately five months (August to April) as larʋae (caterpillars), leaving one and a half months each for pᴜpae, igagos, and eggs. Larʋae (caterpillars) are hairy-covered with iodine. Two red spots on the back, towards the tail, distinguish this species from other similar hairy moth larvae.

Wiggly caps have white wigs and a hairy white body with a tuft of hair between the eyebrows at the tip of the apex. Females lay eggs on the cap, just on the underside of a leaf of a host plant. The species is polyphagous, meaning it feeds on many different species of trees, including pear, apple, maple, and oak.

This species was accidentally transported to the United States in the 1890s. By the early 20th century, it was present from Easter Island, northeast to New Brunswick, Canada, until its subsequent population collapse rededicated the area to parts of coastal Maine and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the late 20th century.

The theory of the decline seemed to be that parasitosis was due to a fly starting to eat foam moths. Since 2015 there has been a population peak and territorial expansion on the coast of Maie. In Europe, there are multiple parasitic and predatory species, but there is still a history of population outbreaks.