Erebidae : Arctiinae
Buff Footman
EILEMA depressa (Esper, 1787)
Buff Footman
EILEMA depressa (Esper, 1787)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 28 - 36mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - ( Excluding - Azores,Balearis Is.,Canary Is.,Corsica,Crete,Cyprus,Madeira,Malta,Portugal,S Russia & Sicily) : N.Asia Minor : Crimea : Abkhasia : Transcaucasia : S.Siberia : Middle Amur : Primorye : Sakhalin : Kunashir : Zhejiang : Korea : Japan
UK Distribution: South-west & central southern England - well distributed and fairly frequent : Also found in parts os Sussex,Kent,London Area and East Anglia,especially breckland : south MIdlands & Wye Valley - more localised : further north including north Wales - very local : Ireland - very local in south west. : Jersey - widespread and frequent - Guernsey - rare
UK Conservation Status -
- Local = 101 - 300 10km squares
- Least Concern
- Phalaena depressa (Esper, 1787)
- Bombyx caniola Hübner, 1808
- Not Specified
Habitat: Established mixed Broadleaved woodland : Scrub : Downland : Heathland : Fens
Similar Species -
- Dingy Footman - Eilema griseola - (Hübner, [1803])
Pupa: Pupates in cocoon spun up on bark or among lichens in a crevice
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: The male is greyish white with orange yellow fringes on both wings and faint yellow stripe along basal third of leading edge. The female is less distinctive,slightly larger,with brownish grey forewings which are occasionally paler with distinct range stripe along leading edge and grey hindwing.
Although similar to the Dingy Footman the two wing shapes vary slightly with the latter being broader and more rounded.
Atrracted to light but appears at the light trap in small numbers
Photo Gallery
Larva
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Larva feeds on various lichens and algae growing on various deciduous and coniferous trees including
Oak,Birch,Hawthorn and Yew and African Redwood
Oak,Birch,Hawthorn and Yew and African Redwood
Taxonomy
Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - EILEMA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Noctuoidea Erebidae Arctiinae Lithosiini EILEMA Hübner, [1819] Eilema depressa (Esper, 1787) - Bombyx caniola Hübner, 1808 - PHALAENA depressa (Esper, 1787) = Eilema deplana = Eilema depressum = Phalaena deplana Esper, 1787 = Noctua luteola Hübner, 1788 = Bombyx helvola Hübner, [1803] = Bombyx ochreola Hübner, [1803] = Lithosia helveola Ochsenheimer, 1810 = unicolor Bankes, 1902 = atra Torstenius, 1956 = albescens Lempke, 1961 = flavescens Lempke, 1961 = Ilema depressa = Eilema deplana deplana = Eilema deplanum - Esper, E. J. C. 1794. Die Schmetterlinge in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen. Fünfter Theil. Europäische Gattungen. - pp. 1-276, Tab. I-LII [= 1-52]. Erlangen. (Walther).V1 : p.98 (31) pl.98 - f.3 - Not Specified - E.d.f.ochreola Hübner, 1827 - ochre to lemon yellow E.d.f.helveola Ochsenheimer, 1810 - background whitish E.d.f.unicolora Guenée, 1861 - Forewing ochre yellow E.d.f.rondoui Oberthur, 1925 - Forewing splendid yellow E.d.f.violagriscens Daniel, 1952 - Forewing purple brown |