Cheshire
Macro-Moths - The Lackey
The
Lackey - Malacosoma neustria Linnaeus
Imago / Adult:
The adult moth (imago) varies between 30mm and 41mm
wingspan. The ground colour is generally a reddish-brown though it
can vary from a pale yellow through to a dark reddish-brown. It is
a resident moth which is single-brooded and normally flies in July
through to the end of August. A scarce moth in the Vice-Counties of
Cheshire (VC-58) and South Lancashire (VC-59). Both sexes of the moth
come readily to both MV and actinic light sources.
Larva:
The larvae are usually 50 to 55 millimetres in length.
The ground colour of the larva is a deep blue colour with a thin white
line along the back which is bordered with stripes of black and orange-brown.
Along the spiracle line are long, dense gingerish hairs which bend
down to obscure the legs and pro-legs.
Foodplant(s):
The foodplants consist of many species of deciduous
trees and shrubs including: Sallow, Hawthorn, Bramble, Blackthorn,
Apple, Oak, and others deciduous trees. The larvae live in communal
silk webs on the foodplants leaving the web for a solitary existence
as they approach pupation time.
Overwintering:
The moth overwinters in the egg (ovum) stage on the
twigs of the foodplant.