Eilema caniola
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hoary Footman sighting in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 390th most-seen of the 479 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Hoary Footman in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to May, the lowest months.
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.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Hoary Footman sightings, Sierra Nevada National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Cévennes National Park (France, about 10%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Hoary Footman that you can see in Sierra Nevada National Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Drasteria cailino (about 20%), Discrete Chaperon (about 20%) and The Passenger (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hoary Footman is recorded against all the insects logged in Sierra Nevada National Park (5 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.
