Ground Lackey

Malacosoma castrensis
Family

Lasiocampidae

Species Codes

B&F 1635 RES 66.004

Quick Links

DistributionPhenologyReporting RatePhotos

Species Account

A nationally scarce moth which, in Kent, is only found on the tip of Grain, the Medway and Swale estuaries and the saltmarsh around Pegwell Bay. This is because its preferred habitat is saltmarsh and despite the guidebooks suggesting it can also be found on coastal shingle, this is not evidenced in Kent. The larvae can be numerous on saltmarsh between April and June with the adults flying mostly in July and August.

Superficially similar to The Lackey, but Ground Lackey does not have parallel crosslines, instead with a kinked inner cross line. As with most Eggar species, which are sexually dimorphic, the female is also usually considerably larger.

Record Verification

Grade 2 adults can be confused with other species, so good quality photographs or possibly a specimen will be required if the recorder is not familiar with the species.

Distribution Map

The map below shows all records of Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis) in the Kent database. If you've got a dot to add, please submit your records to us. Use the control below to filter by time span:

Phenology

The graph below shows at which time of the year Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis) can be expected to be recorded in Kent. Use the controls below to filter by VC and time span:

Reporting Rate

The graph below shows how the number of records of Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis) submitted each year has changed over time. Use the control below to filter by VC:

Photo Gallery

Below is a selection of Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis) images from Kent. If you would like to contribute any photographs, please email mothsinkent@gmail.com. Click on a photo if you would like to see it larger.

External Links

For more information and images of Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis), please take can be seen on the external pages listed below: