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Wednesday, 23 July 2014

Four-spotted?



My Robinson trap has enough Footmen of various sorts every morning at the moment to staff Blenheim Palace and Waddesdon several times over, but this one today looked different. Am I right in thinking that he is a male Four-spotted Footman? I was also struck by the way this Gold Spot (I think, rather than a Lempke's GS) was sleeping, or at least completely comatose, with its forelegs dangling free. Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon
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4 comments:

  1. Martin Albertini23 July 2014 at 14:05

    You do have a Four-spotted Footman. A migrant and rarely makes it to our area.
    If there is any possibility of a gold spot being potentially Lempke's Gold Spot the specimen needs be retained for closer inspection.

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  2. Dave Wilton23 July 2014 at 15:21

    Hi Martin, I feel this is a case where the illustration of the moth in the field guide "could do better" ... Four-spotted Footman has those very obvious black legs and antennae. A very nice catch!

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  3. Martin Wainwright23 July 2014 at 16:37

    Thanks so much both. I never like criticising the truly amazing illustrations but I agree on this one (judging by online images on UK Moths end similar). The yellow 'head' and the darker wash towards the end of the wings are also more clearly defined in 'real' than in the picture. All best, M

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  4. Peter Hall24 July 2014 at 13:42

    It is a Gold Spot rather than Lempke's. This is where you should all have Skinner alongside Mr T's newer effort, it shows the differences very clearly on page 184.

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