Difficult Species: Scarce/Hoary Footman

Introduction

This page sets out some information of separating Scarce Footman (Eilema complana) and Hoary Footman (Eilema caniola).

Note that Scarce Footman can also sometimes be confused with Common Footman (Eilema lurideola)

Scarce Footman

Single-brooded flying mainly from late June to late August.
In Sussex it is recorded about four times more often than Hoary Footman.
In Plumpton & East Chiltington it has been recorded at least 20 times with at least 79 individuals.

Hoary Footman

Double-brooded, flying mainly from the second week of June to early October, most numerously from late June to mid August.
In Sussex it is less common than Scarce Footman with abouit a quarter as many records
In Plumpton & East Chiltington it has been recorded at least 10 times with at least 13 individuals.

Key Differences

They can be very difficult to tell apart, especially if worn but look for:

• Yellow costal stripe is present in both species but tends to be wider and more prominent in Scarce
• The forewings are generally darker with a lead-grey tone in Scarce contrasting with the generally lighter (sometimes whitish) forewings of the Hoary.
• The edge of the forewing for Hoary that wraps over the other wing can show a weakly marked, thin stripe.

Sources

Norfolk Moths - Hoary Footman
British and Irish Moths - Hoary Footman
British and Irish Moths - Scarce Footman
Les Lithosies de la Vienne
British Lepidoptera - Scarce Footman
British Lepidoptera - Hoary Footman

Also "In life the Hoary Footman is (what I call) a ghostly grey (pale and a little silvery) and the yellowish streak along the costa slim. In life the Scarce Footman is darker, a mid grey, and the yellow streak much wider." Colin Pratt per comms. 6th August 2025