Atolmis rubricollis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Atolmis rubricollis, the red-necked footman, is a small moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in the summer in forested regions of Europe and Northern Asia. This moth was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The red-necked footman is a small moth that is mostly charcoal grey or deep dark brown (fresh specimens almost black), but has a conspicuous orange thorax, part of which is visible behind the black head as an orange-red collar. The hindwings are brownish grey. The antennae and legs are black and the end of the abdomen is yellowish orange or golden yellow. The wings are tightly folded together around the body and have pleated, squared-off ends. The wingspan is 25 to 35 mm (1.0 to 1.4 in) and the length of the forewings is 15 to 18 mm (0.6 to 0.7 in).
Wilhelm Neuburger named Romanian specimens as the synonym Atolmis flavicollis; these were less dark brown and with a light yellow instead of a red collar. The white eggs of the red-necked footman are laid in small groups in crevices in the branches of trees, especially those of old firs. The caterpillars feed on lichens growing on the trunks and branches... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Necked Footman sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 219th most-seen of the 300 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Necked Footman in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to April, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-Necked Footman sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Red-Necked Footman sightings, Cairngorms National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Hohe Tauern National Park (Austria, about 10%) and Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany, about 10%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Red-Necked Footman that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Rusty Tussock Moth (about 20%), Ruby Tiger Moth (about 10%) and Garden Tiger (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-Necked Footman is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
