Lithosia quadra
Encyclopedia
The Four-spotted Footman, Lithosia quadra, is a moth
of the family Arctiidae
. It is found in Southern and Central Europe
up to the Amur River. It is also found in the South of Great Britain
and Scandinavia
.
The wingspan
is 35-55 mm, the males are smaller than the females. There is strong sexual dimorphism
in the imago
, the males have gray wings with a yellow wingjoint and a blue-black stripe at the front of the outer rim of the forewing. The females have yellow wings with two blue-black dots.
It is the biggest species of the subfamily Lithosiinae
. The moth flies from June to September depending on the location.
The larvae feed on lichen
and algae
growing on trees, especially oak
.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the family Arctiidae
Arctiidae
Arctiidae is a large and diverse family of moths with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species. This family includes the groups commonly known as tiger moths , which usually have bright colours, footmen , lichen moths and wasp moths...
. It is found in Southern and Central Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
up to the Amur River. It is also found in the South of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 35-55 mm, the males are smaller than the females. There is strong sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
in the imago
Imago
In biology, the imago is the last stage of development of an insect, after the last ecdysis of an incomplete metamorphosis, or after emergence from the pupa where the metamorphosis is complete...
, the males have gray wings with a yellow wingjoint and a blue-black stripe at the front of the outer rim of the forewing. The females have yellow wings with two blue-black dots.
It is the biggest species of the subfamily Lithosiinae
Lithosiinae
The Lithosiinae are a subfamily of moths.-Systematics:The systematics of the Lithosiinae are in need of revision. For example, the proposed tribes Afridini, Cisthenini, Endrosini and Eudesmini require validation and delimitation of content...
. The moth flies from June to September depending on the location.
The larvae feed on lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
and algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
growing on trees, especially oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
.