The common footman (''Manulea lurideola'') is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by

Johann Leopold Theodor Friedrich Zincken Julius Leopold Theodor Friedrich Zincken or ZinkenDr. Jul. Leop Theod. Friedr. Zinken genannt Sommer (1757D. A. M. Beitrag zur Insecten-fauna von Java ''Nova Acta Physico-Medica'' also Sommer (15 April 1770 in Braunschweig – 8 February 1856 in B ...

in 1817. It is distributed throughout Europe and east through the

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Si ...

Lake Baikal Lake Baikal (, russian: Oзеро Байкал, Ozero Baykal ); mn, Байгал нуур, Baigal nuur) is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the Federal subjects of Russia, federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast, I ...

. This species has a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...

of 31–38 mm. The forewings are grey with a yellowish-buff streak along the costa. The hindwings are a uniform cream colour. Like other footmen, it rests with its wings wrapped around its body. (The common name footman comes from a supposed resemblance to the uniform of a

footman A footman is a male domestic worker employed mainly to wait at table or attend a coach or carriage. Etymology Originally in the 14th century a footman denoted a soldier or any pedestrian, later it indicated a foot servant. A running footman deli ...

Technical description and variation

Wingspan 31–38 mm. Forewing broadened towards the outer margin, bright glossy lead grey with broad, regular, light yellow costal band, somewhat dulled at the apex, and pure yellow fringes; hindwing, head and neck and anal tuft of male ivory yellow. Beneath, the forewing is only suffused with sooty grey at the base and on the disc, so that a broad outer border is pale yellow. Hindwing pale yellow with a slightly dark costal margin.Seitz, A. in Seitz, A. Ed. ''Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde'', Verlag Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart Band 2: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen Spinner und Schwärmer, 1912- 1913

Biology

This moth flies at night in July and August and is attracted to light and nectar-rich

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

s. Larva dark lilac grey with black dorsal line and black head, bearing black and yellow hairs; subdorsal lines black, stigma-line orange. It usually feeds on various lichens including ''

Parmelia Parmelia may refer to: * Parmelia (barque) ''Parmelia'' was a barque built in Quebec, Canada, in 1825. Originally registered on 31 May in Quebec, she sailed to Great Britain and assumed British registry. She made one voyage for the British East I ...

'', although it has also been recorded feeding on

buckthorn ''Rhamnus'' is a genus of about 110 accepted species of shrubs or small trees, commonly known as buckthorns, in the family Rhamnaceae. Its species range from tall (rarely to ) and are native mainly in east Asia and North America, but found t ...

and

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

. The species overwinters as a larva, hibernating, until the end of May. Pupa reddish brown and glossy. According to Schmidt the larvae prefer the trunks of beeches and oaks, but (Seitz) "I often

beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...

the moths out of the lower branches of high, solitary larches in the Alpine valleys; locally very common, especially in the mountains". # ''The flight season refers to the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles (O ...

. This may vary in other parts of the range.''

References

* *Dubatolov, Vladimi
"''Manulea'' (''Agenjoa'') ''lurideola'' ([Zincken], 1817)"
''Lichen-Moths (Arctiidae, Lithosiinae) of Russia and Adjacent Countries''. *

External links

* Taxonomy
''Eilema lurideola'' at ''Fauna Europaea''"'10489 ''Eilema lurideola'' ([Zincken], 1817) - Grauleib-Flechtenbärchen" at ''Lepiforum e.V.''
{{Taxonbar">from=Q217103 Lithosiina Moths described in 1817 Moths described in 1817">Lithosiina Moths described in 1817 Moths of Asia Moths of Europe">Moths of Asia">Moths described in 1817">Lithosiina Moths described in 1817 Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Taxa named by Johann Leopold Theodor Friedrich Zincken