Hoary Footman

Hoary Footman

Eilema caniola

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Porto

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

142 Verified sightings at Porto
70 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted

About the Hoary Footman

Eilema caniola, the hoary footman, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1808. Eilema caniola caniola Eilema caniola torstenii von Mentzer, 1980 (Spain) This species can be found in North Africa, in western and southern Europe, in eastern Europe up to south-western Russia, in the Near East, in the eastern Palearctic realm, and in the Oriental realm. These thermophilic moths usually occur in urban areas and as a caterpillar on old walls, roofs, shingle beaches, and rocky areas.

The wingspan is 28–35 mm. It is almost the same in colouring as Eilema griseola and Eilema lurideola but the forewings are much smaller, the outer margin is oblique, only slightly excurved; the colour is much lighter, more yellowish grey, so that the pale yellow costal stripe is less prominent. Hindwings are very pale, scarcely darker at the costal margin, with the apex much more pointed than in the two species mentioned, with which it might be confounded.

It is at once distinguished from Eilema complanum by the underside of the forewing, on which the pale grey colour extends... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
2 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
3 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
4 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Porto 🇵🇹 Portugal
~10%
2 Essen 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
3 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
4 Paris 🇫🇷 France
<5%
5 Madrid 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Hoary Footman in Porto?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hoary Footman sighting in Porto on a given day, based on 142 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 44th most-seen of the 498 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Hoary Footman in Porto?

October

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Hoary Footman in Porto on a given day, against under 5% in December to March, the lowest months. That is one of Porto's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain against 15 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Hoary Footman?

Between 10 pm and 1 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hoary Footman sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.

Is Porto the best place to see a Hoary Footman?

Yes

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Hoary Footman sightings, Porto has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Essen (Germany, under 5%) and London (United Kingdom, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Hoary Footman live in Porto?

Same family: Erebidae

The closest relatives of the Hoary Footman that you can see in Porto (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Swan Moth (about 20%), Buff Footman (about 20%) and Ruby Tiger Moth (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Hoary Footman sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Hoary Footman is recorded against all the insects logged in Porto (142 verified sightings), 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.

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