Page 343 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Lasiocampidae
DISTRIBUTION Across Europe, extending east across Asia to China’s eastern coast
HABITAT Hedgerows
HOST PLANTS Deciduous trees, including Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), hawthorn
(Crataegus spp.), birch (Betula spp.), and willow (Salix spp.)
NOTE Social caterpillar that is covered in tufts of long hairs
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but numbers are declining

ADULT WINGSPAN
1 –1 in (30–40 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2 in (50 mm)
ERIOGASTER LANESTRIS
SMALL EGGAR 341

(LINNAEUS, 1758)

Small Eggar caterpillars hatch from eggs laid near the tip
of branches, and they can be seen from late spring to mid
summer. The larvae are gregarious, living together in a large,
tent-shaped, silken web, which they spin between branches of
a host tree. They leave the web to forage, following trails
marked by returning caterpillars. On sunny days the caterpillars
bask on the surface of the web. The largest webs are home to
hundreds of caterpillars, and their weight can cause the branches
to bend downward.

The full-grown caterpillars leave the web and crawl down
the tree to nd a place to pupate. They spin a brown cocoon,

in which they remain for up to a year before emerging. Studies
have found that some remain in the pupal stage for as long as ten
years. The adult moths are on the wing in early spring, although
the females are weak iers and do not travel far.

The Small Eggar caterpillar is dark brown
with two distinctive lines of tufts along its
back made up of white, yellow, and orange
hairs sprouting from a ginger base. Along its
sides, it has more long hairs, and also white
dots and lines, which create a series of
U-shaped marks.

Actual size