| Sallow kitten | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Notodontidae |
| Genus: | Furcula |
| Species: | F. furcula |
| Binomial name | |
| Furcula furcula (Clerck, 1759) | |
Furcula furcula, the sallow kitten, is a moth from the family Notodontidae. It was first described by the Swedish entomologist Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759 from a specimen found in Sweden.
The moth can be found in Europe (including the Mediterranean region), Anatolia and through Asia to China. It is also found in North America. [1]
The sallow kitten is grey/white and has a wingspan of 27 to 35 mm. The first part of the wing has a large grey middle band. It differs from the poplar kitten ( Furcula bifida ) in its generally smaller size, but more especially in the shape of the black line forming the outer margin of the central band; this is always more or less angled or dentate towards the front margin of the wings, whereas, in the poplar kitten, this portion of the line forms a clean curve. The flight period ranges from April to the end of August. Depending on location the moth has one or two generations per year and is attracted to light. [1]
The dark purple, hemispericle eggs are laid in batches of two or three on the upper surface of leaves in May or June and again in August. They hatch after nine days. [1]
The caterpillar can grow up to 35 mm and is bright green with a purple brown marking on the saddle and can be found from May through to September. The main host plants are willow (Salix species) and occasionally aspen (Populus tremula) and other poplar (Populus species). [2] Larvae can be found on small isolated moorland bushes. [1]
Before pupation the larva hollows out a recess. The pupa is dark purple-brown and pupation takes place in a tough cocoon constructed from a mixture of chewed wood-pulp and silk. [1]
The poplar kitten is a species of moth in the family Notodontidae. The species was first described by Nikolaus Joseph Brahm in 1787. They are found throughout Europe and in North Africa, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Xinjiang.
The large tortoiseshell or blackleg tortoiseshell is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.
The grey dagger is a moth of the family Noctuidae.
Daphnis nerii, the oleander hawk-moth or army green moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The poplar admiral is a butterfly in the subfamily Limenitinae of the family Nymphalidae.
Dyseriocrania subpurpurella is a diurnal moth from the family Eriocraniidae, found in most of Europe. The moth was first named by the English entomologist, Adrian Hardy Haworth in 1828.
Xanthia togata, the pink-barred sallow, is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a Holarctic species, and is found throughout Europe and east through the Palearctic to Central Asia, and Siberia up to the Ussuri. The distribution area includes the United States and Canada. It was first described by the German entomologist Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1788 from the type specimen in Germany
The March dagger moth is a moth of the subfamily Chimabachinae. It is found in Europe and was first described by Michael Denis & Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775.
Catocala electa, the rosy underwing, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Karl Friedrich Vieweg in 1790. It can be found in Europe and Asia.
Anacampsis populella is a moth of the family Gelechiidae, which is native to Europe and has been accidentally introduced to North America. It was first described in 1759 by Carl Alexander Clerck, a Swedish entomologist. The type specimen is from Sweden. The foodplants of the larvae are poplars and willows.
Batrachedra praeangusta is a moth of the family Batrachedridae which is native to Europe. It is also found in North America. It was first described by Adrian Haworth in 1828 from the type specimen found in England. The foodplants of the larvae are poplars and willows.
Eriocrania sangii, the large birch purple, is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae found in Europe and described by John Henry Wood in 1891. The moth can be found flying in sunshine around birch trees and the larvae feed on birch leaves.
Eriocrania sparrmannella also known as the mottled purple is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae, found in Europe and Japan. It was first described by the French entomologist, Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc in 1791. The specific name honours the Swedish naturalist Anders Erikson Sparrman. The larvae mine the leaves of birch.
Condica dolorosa is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the Indo-Australian tropics, including Borneo, Hawaii, Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Queensland in Australia.
Furcula occidentalis, the western furcula moth, double-lined furcula or willow kitten , is a moth of the family Notodontidae. It is found from southern Yukon and British Columbia to Nova Scotia, south to Maryland and west to Utah and Oregon.
Synanthedon flaviventris, the sallow clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. The larvae form pear-shaped galls on sallows.
Acanthopsyche atra, the dusky sweep, is a moth of the family Psychidae. The habitat consists of heath and moorland.
Ichneutica purdii, the orange astelia wainscot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. It can be found throughout the main islands of New Zealand. I. purdii is a relatively large, colourful moth, unlikely to be confused with any other endemic moth species in New Zealand. The larvae of this moth feed at night on species of Astelia. During the day they shelter in the interior of the plant. When fully grown the larvae can reach a length of approximately 48mm. The larvae are ocherous in colour with a pink flush with line markings but when ready to pupate these markings fade and the larvae take on a light golden hue with a rosy tinge to its rear segments. The deep wine coloured pupa is enclosed in a slight cocoon, with this being constructed below the soil, amongst debris or alternatively within a hollow stick. The adult moths are on the wing from October to March. Although this moth is found throughout the main islands of New Zealand it is more frequent in the south of New Zealand at higher altitudes of up to 1200m.
Charixena iridoxa, also known as the Astelia zig-zag moth, is a moth of the family Plutellidae. It was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1916. This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the North, South and Stewart Islands. The life cycle of this moth is at least two years in length with the larvae inhabiting the bulb of its host plants and mining the underside of its leaves. These mines have a distinctive zig-zag appearance and can be easily recognised when looked for on the host plants. The larvae pupate in a cocoon attached to the leaf and this stage takes place between February and August. The adult moths emerge in the early spring and are fast, day flying moths. Their larval hosts are plants in the genus Astelia and include Astelia fragrans and Astelia nervosa.
