Moth larva

[zigzag_wanderer]

Hi All,

I posted this yesterday in my weekly sightings, but am also putting here as it's the more proper ID request channel.

Beautifully coloured, with a blue/grey background and yellow/orange hairs. Small but very striking.

Any help with an ID appreciated as always.

Cheers

[PhilM]

Hi Zig-Zag,

I reckon that's a Footman moth larva, could be Dotted Footman or even a Small Dotted Footman. Best get confirmation from others as well. Where abouts did you see it?

[zigzag_wanderer]

Many thanks Phil, really appreciate the input.

It was found by a colleague at the garden nursery I work at (in mid Sussex). She brought it to me to have a look at and I'm fairly certain she said she found it on the floor. We do find quite a few on the floor as they get shaken off when we move trays about or when moving plants about on rattling trolleys. However, you often find insect larvae in the marginal weeds on the floor too.

I'll ask her tomorrow to see if she can remember if it was in an area containing specific plants and will update if so.

I took a bit of a gamble and put it in a small weedy grassy patch by the base one of the pillars. These areas do get a green algal growth also, which might possibly be to a footman cat's taste ?? Be great if so, but would be a total fluke on my part as I had no idea where to place it.

It also goes without saying that the bosses have a bit of a different view to caterpillars than some of us who work there (ditto the voles !).

[PhilM]

More likely to be the Dotted Footman (Pelosia muscerda) then as that species is adventive to the Sussex coast at least. I doubt that it is a Small Dotted Footman which is localised to small areas of Kent and Norfolk. It's interesting that you work in a nursery, maybe it hitched a ride on some imported plants?

One thing that worries me about my ID is that there is normally two rusty orange coloured spots just above the head, I can't see them in your photo because of the angle and setae, the spots do darken anyway as the larvae matures. Yours looks well fed and ready to pupate, which is about right for this time of year in the UK. They feed on lichen, algae and rotting vegetation.

It's the only species I can come up with my level of knowledge and what I can see in the photo - maybe others can add something.

Here's a link to a Wikipedia page on the species:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelosia_muscerda

Cheers,
Phil.

[zigzag_wanderer]

Hi Phil,

I really appreciate the consideration and the clear logic behind your thinking.

I spoke today to the lady who found it. She confirmed it was on the floor but that it was very close to where she was working cleaning and labelling a large selection of ferns in trays and pots. So there's certainly a decent possibility it was on a fern plant before ending up on the floor.

The ferns themselves were supplied as small plug-plants which were then planted out into 10.5 cm pots. Not sure where they get these from (I will check with the boss) but there is certainly a possibility it hitched a ride, possibly as an egg ? I'm estimating we received the plug trays maybe 2 months ago.

The pots of ferns get relatively more watering than most plants and definitely have a fair bit of green algae on the top of the soil. But the plug plants on arrival (pre-potting) only have a small plug of soil. I wasn't involved in potting these, but I doubt there was much algae on the plug soil before potting.

So intriguing to know if it hitched a ride or not.

Interesting to know if a Dotted Footman would lay eggs on ferns. If they are associated with fenland they might do as ferns are likely to be in algae-rich areas ?

Cheers again !

ZZW

[PhilM]

Little is published on the egg laying preferences of Dotted Footman. We know they like wet, algae rich environments so your suggestion that they may use ferns is entirely reasonable. This link is useful although it only covers Norfolk sightings; they are also localised along the Suffolk, Essex, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Dorset coastlines.

https://www.norfolkmoths.co.uk/index.php?bf=20410

Best wishes,
Phil.

[zigzag_wanderer]

Thanks very much for the link Phil....interesting stuff.

Just to add to the fun, I asked the boss where the fern plugs originated. He said that they came via a UK firm, who have several UK centres, but the company has a strong link with a major Dutch supplier, so it's perfectly possible that the ferns originated in Holland.

I'm guessing if East Norfolk fenland is reasonable for the Dotted (or even Small Dotted) Footman, then parts of Holland might be too ?

We do a lot of violas and pansies, and all of these are supplied from Holland. So I'm always unrealistically hoping to see a Dutch Fritillary flitting about the place. But I've never even seen a UK one at the nursery.

Cheers again Phil, can't beat a bit of caterpillar intrigue. I'll keep 'em peeled in case I do see any adults, although we're selling the ferns to the garden centres very quickly. LOTS of plant orders this week ahead of the Bank Holiday.

ZZW

[PhilM]

No problem ZZW, let's hope my larva ID was correct!,

All the best,
Phil.