Kingdom: Animalia
Subkingdom: Eumetazoa
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Lasiocampoidea
Family: Lasiocampidae
Subfamily: Lasiocampinae
Genus: Eriogaster

The small eggar is the most colorful of all three species of the genus Eriogaster in our country. This is the only species of its genus in which adult moths are active in early spring and cannot be confused with any other eggar. It inhabits grassland habitats partially overgrown with bushes, airy forests, forest edges and hedges. The caterpillars of the small eggar feed on the leaves of various deciduous trees. At the beginning of their life they live in common nests built of silk, which provide them with protection from predators. Later they feed individually, scattered over the host plants. The small eggar inhabits most of Croatia, but is mostly missing from the coastal area and Dalmatia. Recent records of this species are scarce.