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Buff Footman
Eilema depressa (Esper, 1787)
Erebidae: Arctiinae
2049 / 72.043
Photo © Terry Box, 10 Jul 2011,  SE4673:Pilmoor, VC62

Similar Yorkshire Species
Dingy Footman
Eilema griseola
Common Footman
Eilema lurideola
Forewing: 15-17mm
Flight: July - August
Foodplant:   Lichens growing on trees and bushes
Red List: Least Concern (LC)
GB Status: Common
Former Status: Local
Verification Grade:  Adult: 2

Yorkshire Status: Common and widespread resident.

Porritt only knew this species from York. Back in the 19th century it was evidently very scarce in the north of England. Like several other Footman species it retreated south and since the 1980s has been rapidly moving north, the first records coming from Spurn in 1984 followed by Bishop Wood in 1988. Many more sites were colonised inthe 1990s and it is now found all over the county. It has moved as far north as the Western Isles at a rather impressive rate. In the fairly early stage of colonisation, numbers were spectacular at some sites, for exampleta 1310 trapped on 13/8/2009 at Newtondale in VC62. Like all Footmen, this is a lichen feeder, favouring broad-leaved trees in well-established woodland. The bright yellow form mentioned below in Sutton and Beaumont is f. unicolor which is not uncommon. This form can easily be mistaken for the earlier-flying Orange Footman. A little known identification feature is that the males have a "crease" in the base of the wing extending about a third of the distance along the wing.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: The first County records since Porritt (1883-86) occurred at Spurn (VC61) in 1984 and a second locality has been found in 1988. Porritt has York as the only locality but he says that the specimens were much larger than those in the South and the female was bright yellow. He comments on this as a distinct variety and possibly a different species. No mention of a form matching this description is made by Skinner (1984) or de Worms (MBGBI 9). It seems strange that such an observation should pass without comment.

Recorded in 148 (74%) of 200 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1883.
Last Recorded in 2024.
Additional Stats

Latest 5 Records
Date#VC10k Area
06/09/20241762SE88 - Pickering (E)
04/09/2024165SE19 - Leyburn / Catterick Garrison
03/09/2024165SE19 - Leyburn / Catterick Garrison
02/09/2024165SE38 - Leeming
28/08/2024162NZ62 - Redcar / Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Further info: Eilema depressa
 
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