Erebidae : Arctiinae
Dotted Footman
PELOSIA muscerda (Hufnagel, 1766)
Dotted Footman
PELOSIA muscerda (Hufnagel, 1766)
Kind permission - © Tim Norriss
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 30-34mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - (excluding ( Azores,Balearic Is.,Canary Is.,Crete,Croatia,Cyprus,Ireland,Madeira,Malta,Portugal & Sicily) : to Japan
UK Distribution: Possibly only the Norfolk Broads although other records are possible migrants.
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Fens,preferring wetter area with scattered Salllow and Alder carr.
Similar Species -
The pinacula are small black ovals with short brown setae and two reddish marks on the prothoracic and eleventh segment dorsally.The head is black. The larva has not been discovered in the wild in Britain and although it is thought to feed on lichens and mosses, in captivity it will feed on the withered leaves of plants like Bramble and Sallows.
Pupa: Pupates in a double cocoon
Overwinters as: larva
Observations: A rare Red Data Book species (pre 1994) the moth is now possibly only breeding in Britain on the Norfolk Broads, with other scattered records possibly being immigrants. In Hampshire two were recorded on different sites in the New Forest in 2008,the last know sighting a few miles away was back in 1891 (www.hantsmoths.org.uk)
The similar species P.obtusa is smaller, with rounded forewings, and very curved row of spots almost looking like inverted "V" and traverses the forewing from costa to dorsum. whereas this species has 5 or 6 black spots formed in two separate rows which is diagnostic for this species.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - (excluding ( Azores,Balearic Is.,Canary Is.,Crete,Croatia,Cyprus,Ireland,Madeira,Malta,Portugal & Sicily) : to Japan
UK Distribution: Possibly only the Norfolk Broads although other records are possible migrants.
UK Conservation Status -
- RedList - GB - Pre94 - (RDB 3 - Rare) < 15 x 10km squares
- Least Concern
- Phalaena muscerda (Hufnagel, 1766)
- Phalaena quadra (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Germany - Berlin Region
Habitat: Fens,preferring wetter area with scattered Salllow and Alder carr.
Similar Species -
- Small Dotted Footman - Pelosia obtusa - (Herrich-Schäffer, 1851)
The pinacula are small black ovals with short brown setae and two reddish marks on the prothoracic and eleventh segment dorsally.The head is black. The larva has not been discovered in the wild in Britain and although it is thought to feed on lichens and mosses, in captivity it will feed on the withered leaves of plants like Bramble and Sallows.
Pupa: Pupates in a double cocoon
Overwinters as: larva
Observations: A rare Red Data Book species (pre 1994) the moth is now possibly only breeding in Britain on the Norfolk Broads, with other scattered records possibly being immigrants. In Hampshire two were recorded on different sites in the New Forest in 2008,the last know sighting a few miles away was back in 1891 (www.hantsmoths.org.uk)
The similar species P.obtusa is smaller, with rounded forewings, and very curved row of spots almost looking like inverted "V" and traverses the forewing from costa to dorsum. whereas this species has 5 or 6 black spots formed in two separate rows which is diagnostic for this species.
Photo Gallery
Larval Food Plants Worldwide - Mosses & Lichens
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website where further information like photos,physical characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
- Brachytheciaceae - Moss Family
- Homalothecium sericeum - Silky Wall Feather-moss
- Peltigeraceae - Litchenised Fungi Family
- Peltigera canina - Dog Lichen
- Rhabdoweisiaceae - Moss Family
- Dicranoweisia cirrata - Common Pincushion
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Parmeliaceae - Parmeiia - Foliose Lichens
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Dicranoweisia cirrata - Common Pincushion
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - LITHOSIA: Original Species Name: Species Names Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Noctuoidea Erebidae Arctiinae Lithosiini LITHOSIA Fabricius,1798 Lithosia muscerda (Hufnagel, 1766) - Phalaena quadra (Linnaeus, 1758) - PHALAENA muscerda (Hufnagel, 1766) = Noctua cinerina Esper, 1805 = Noctua pudorina Esper, 1805 = Tinea perlella Fabricius, 1787 - Berlin. Magazin : 3 (4) : Title Page : p.400 - n.73 - Germany - Berlin Region - L.m.f.concolor Schultz,1909 - Forewing points missing L.m.f.somonensis Legrand, 1936 - points stretch into streaks |