NOTODONIDAE: Cerurinae

71.005 Furcula furcula (Sallow Kitten)

fw: 14-18mm (Waring & Townsend), ws: 27-35mm (UK moths); bivoltine in England & Wales May-Jun, Jul-Aug, univoltine in Scotland Jun-Jul; willows (Salix spp); common in England & Wales, less common in Scotland.
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Furcula furcula (Sallow Kitten) §4 male
ID: The three Furcula species all have a similar pattern, being basically white with a grey thorax, median fascia and costal portion of a subterminal fascia, each of these grey markings with a variable admixture of orange. F.bicsupis (Alder Kitten) is readily distinguished by the forewing markings being an intense blackish-grey and by the proximal margin of the median fascia being curved such that the fascia is pinched in the middle. In both F.furcula and F.bifida (Poplar Kitten) the markings are a paler less intense grey and the proximal margin of the median fascia is more or less straight. Separating F.furcula from F.bifida is based on the the distal margin of the median fascia being irregular with a series of (~3) concavities in F.furcula and smoother with a single long concavity in F.bifida. Waring & Townsend mentions that the distal margin of the median fascia is also only thinly edged black in its costal half in F.furcula and much more thickly edged black in F.bifida.
  • Variation
  • Dissection
  • Male genitalia
  • Female genitalia
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§1 Arnside, Cumbria; 07/07/2012; female; fw 17.0mm
§2 Glen Urquart, Inverness-shire; 18/07/2012; male; fw 15.0mm
§3 Strumpshaw Fen, Norfolk; 24/08/2012; male
§4 Strumpshaw Fen, Norfolk; 07/07/2013; male
§5 Mull; 19/06/2018; male
§6 Cliburn Moss, Cumbria; 24/06/2019; female; fw 15.4mm
§7 Orlestone Forest, Kent; 24/06/2020; male; fw 13.7mm
§8 Orlestone Forest, Kent; 24/06/2020; male; fw 14.6mm
​§9 Eskadale, Inverness-shire; 25/06/2022; male
All images © Chris Lewis
Page published 28/11/2014 (§1-4) | §5 added 22/04/2019 | §6 added 18/02/2020 | §7&8 added 27/01/2021 | §9 added 11/12/2022