Scarce footman moth
Eilema complana
The scarce footman is a slim moth with a bright yellow stripe along the front edge of each wing. When it rests, it rolls its wings around its body like a thin tube. Its caterpillars eat lichen, the crusty stuff on trees and stones.
Lives in
Europe and Asia
Wingspan
2.8 to 3.5 cm (1.1 to 1.4 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat lichens, and sometimes dry or soft leaves.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🍚wings as wide as 6 grains of rice in a row⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 29 seconds
How big is Scarce footman moth compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
Scarce footman moth about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
It flies from June to August.
2
Its caterpillar is blackish with small reddish yellow and white spots.
3
It looks very much like a close cousin, but its yellow stripe is wider and brighter.
4
The tip of its body is bright yellow.
you asked
Most asked questions about Scarce footman moth
?What does the scarce footman eat?
Its caterpillars eat lichens growing on trees and stones.
?When does the scarce footman fly?
From June to August.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Eilema complana
- Named by
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Erebidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Erebidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia
- Also known as
- Scarce footman
Where the facts come from
- Manulea complana (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Ben Sale from Stevenage, UK. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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