72.041 BF2051  –  Erebidae –  Arctiinae – Lithosia quadra – Four-spotted Footman – (Linnaeus, 1758) Adult Macro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species – Can be confused with other species       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines

Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Erebidae  >> Arctiinae
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Four-dotted Footman
ID pointers: Unmistakable
Distribution:  (First record: 1894 )  –  (Last record: 14 June 2025 at Midway )  –  A rare vagrant – 1 old record from 1894 and three remarkable finds in 72 hours – Dave Newcombe, Belper 12th June 2025 and Brian Hallam in his Findern garden by the side of his light trap overnight 13/14th June 2025 – both males. One from Midway on 14th June. A national influx of this species during June 2025.
Flight Period: June /  July /  August /  September /  –  One generation July-Sept but migrants can be found from June onwards. Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – active from dusk into the night Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Dave Newcombe /Tony Davison / M.Williams  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 35-55mm
Forewing: M 18-22mm. F 20-26mm
Food Plant: Bark of deciduous trees.
Last Recorded Year: 2025
First Recorded Year: 1894
Last Recorded By – M.Williams
Last Recorded General Area – Midway

Selected Images:  No images

Belper (12th June 2025) – Dave Newcombe / Findern (13th June 2025) Brian Hallam – images by Tony Davison© / M.Williams© 14th June 2025 /



Distribution Map for Lithosia quadra

Found 5 records
    ↳ 4 from After 2025
    ↳ 0 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 1 from Before 2020
Flying
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

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Bedrock Geology ** indirectly affects moth distribution by influencing the type of habitat and food plants available in an area. In turn, this may affect the types of moths that can thrive, or where they can most likely be found.


NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Lithosia quadra

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Note – the NBN Atlas datasets are listed in the map below and vary in their currency (uptodateness) – however, the map does give a general indication of the moth's distribution across the UK.

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Monthly Records By Year: Lithosia quadra
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Monthly Counts By Year: Lithosia quadra
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )


First/Last Recorded Dates: Lithosia quadra
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Lithosia quadra
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Lithosia quadra
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%
Lithosia quadra
Insufficient records/data for an AGR analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025
Lithosia quadra
Insufficient records/data for a CUSUM analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Lithosia quadra
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Lithosia quadra
( data includes Adult Stage only )

Flight Period chart – the grey hatched area above, which can cross one or more months, pictorially represents the best guess we have for this moth's flight periods [month/s]. The coloured lines represent the actual months seen in flight, from site observation records received between 2020-2025.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Lithosia quadra – 5 records available

Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Midway, Derbys.SK32A14/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Midway, Derbys.SK32A16/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, DerbyshireSK33A13/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Belper, DerbyshireSK34N13/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Little Eaton, Derby (site not precise)SK34Q01/01/18001Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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