| Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola (Hübner, 1803)) |
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Scientific name: Eilema griseola (Hübner, 1803) Common name: Dingy Footman French name: Lithosie grise Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Heterocera Family: Erebidae Subfamily: Arctiinae Wingspan: 27-35 mm. Biotope: Damp forests, open woodlands, woodland edges, bushes. Geographic area: Europe, Asia east to Japan. Flight time: June-August. Number of generations : 1 Caterpillar: Black and hairy with two rows of orange spots on the upper side. Host plant: Lichens on trees and on rocks. |
The Dingy Footman, when at rest, holds its fore wings folded flat one on the other. The fore wings are rather wide and distinctly convex in shape. They are grey in colour (there is a yellow form in the UK) with a thin yellow band on the costal edge which gets thinner and thinner from the middle of the wing. The tip of the abdomen is yellowish. The head and legs are yellow. The back of the head is grey. The hind wings are yellowish. There are similar species that you can tell apart by looking at the yellow edge on the fore wings. The Scarce Footman (Eilema complana) shows a yellow stripe on the costal edge of the fore wings with a constant width up to the apex. When at rest, the fore wings are more held rolled up than held flat. This is an important criteria to tell it apart from Eilema griseola in addition to the wide and convex shape of the wings of this last species. The Hoary Footman (Eilema caniola) holds its fore wings rolled up when at rest. The Common Footman (Eilema lurideola) also shows fore wings folded flat when at rest. However they appear clearly narrower with a straighter costal edge. The yellow costal band strongly tapers just before the apex. The neck is yellow while it is more grey on Eilema griseola. The Dingy Footman is attracted to light. |
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I have listed this one as Eilema griseola because of the large width and convex shape of the fore wings. However, I find the neck a little greyish yellow... |
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Closer view. |
André Bon December 2022