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NOTODONTIDAE | Cerurinae
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71.007 Furcula bifida (Poplar Kitten)
fw: 16-22mm; late May - Jul; poplars/aspen (Populus spp); local, mainly in poplar plantations in S.England and E.Wales, uncommon in N.England.
Furcula bifida (Poplar Kitten) §1 female
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 (Sallow Ktten) 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.
§1 Stour Wood, Essex; 06/06/2021; female; fw 20.8mm
§2 Stour Wood, Essex; 06/06/2021; male
All images © Chris Lewis
§2 Stour Wood, Essex; 06/06/2021; male
All images © Chris Lewis
Page published 07/06/2021 (§1) | §2 and dissection images added 28/11/2021
