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Kent Moth Group

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Ground Lackey

Malacosoma castrensis

Family: Lasiocampidae

RES: 66.004 B&F: 1635

Verification Grade (Adult):

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.

Flight Season: July and August

© Darren Taylor

Quick Navigation:

Distribution in Kent

The map below shows the distribution of records of Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis) within Kent. Use the control below to show data for a certain time period. If you've got a dot to add, please submit your records to us. Click here for more information on how to submit data.

Filter by Time Period:AllPre-19501950 - 20002000 - 2022

Phenology

The graph below shows at which time of the year Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis) can be expected to be recorded in Kent. Hover over the graph to see exact figures for each period of the year, and use the controls below to filter by VC and time span:

Filter by VC:AllVC15VC16

Filter by Time Period:AllPre-20002000 - 2022

Photo Gallery

Below is a gallery of Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis) images from Kent. If you would like to contribute any photographs, please email mothsinkent@gmail.com.

Reporting Rate

The graph below shows how the number of records submitted Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis) to the Kent database has varied since 1950. Hover over the graph to see exact figures for each year, and use the control below to filter by a certain VC.

Filter by VC:AllVC15VC16

External Links

More information about Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis) can be seen on the external pages listed below: