Collita griseola, the dingy footman, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1803. It is found in Europe and North and South-East Asia.

Collita griseola
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Collita
Species:
C. griseola
Binomial name
Collita griseola
(Hübner, 1803)
Synonyms
  • Bombyx griseola Hübner, [1803]
  • Eilema griseolum
  • Eilema griseola
  • Lithosia flava Haworth, 1809
  • Lithosia plumbeolata Stephens, 1829
  • Lithosia stramineola Doubleday, 1847
  • Collita lilacina Moore, 1878
  • Lithosia cinerea Poujade, 1886
  • Lithosia lenta Leech, 1890
  • Lithosia fuscicilia Hampson, 1894
  • Eilema submontana Inoue, 1982
  • Lithosia griseola f. pallida Lempke, 1961
  • Lithosia griseola f. aurantiaca Lempke, 1961
  • Lithosia sachalinensis Matsumura, 1930

The wingspan is 32–40 mm. The moth flies from May to August depending on the location.

The larvae feed on lichen.

This species has shown a spectacular increase in abundance in Britain during the period 1968 to 2007, like a number of moth species with larva that feed on lichens and algae.[1] In Britain it was originally limited to southern fens and marshy areas, but has since spread northwards and now occupy a variety of habitats, including gardens.[1]

Subspecies edit

  • Collita griseola griseola
  • Collita griseola sachalinensis (Matsumura, 1930) (Russian Far East)
  • Collita griseola submontana (Inoue, 1982) (Japan)

References edit

  1. ^ a b Fox, R. (2013). "The State of Britain's Larger Moths 2013" (PDF). Butterfly Conservation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2016.

External links edit