Gray Furcula

No concerns.

Adults are on the wing late May though mid-July

Nova Scotia west to BC. In Alberta, cinerea occurs in the wooded portions of the valleys in the grasslands region and locally in the aspen parklands.

A medium-size (3.3-4.5 cm wingspan) pale grey moth. The long silky hair on the body is typical of the genus. The forewings are pale pearl grey shading to white at the wing-base. The normal lines are reduced to a few dark marks, in particular at the costa, and a series of black dots on the outer margin in the spaces between the veins. There are also a few small patches of gold or orange scales along the lower forewing margin. The hindwings are white with a row of prominent back spots between the veins along the margin, and a small dark discal spot. All other Furcula species have a sharply contrasting dark median band crossing the forewings. The nominate subspecies been reported from the Llyodminster region. Subspecies wileyi occurs in the grasslands region of southern Alberta; it is larger and paler than ssp. cinerea.

Deciduous forest and shrub

The adults are diurnal and come to lights. Larvae are solitary defoliators. There is a single brood which overwinters as pupae.

No Alberta data. Elsewhere larval hosts are reported to be poplar (Populus sp.) and willow (Salix).

Furcula cinerea, the gray furcula moth, is a moth of the family Notodontidae. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1865. It is found in the United States, southern Canada and the Northwest Territories.

The wingspan is 33–45 mm. The forewings are light grey with medium grey median and subterminal areas. The hindwings are light greyish white with a dark discal spot and a terminal line of black dots. Adults are on wing from April to September in the south and from May to August in the north. There are two generations per year in the south. In the north there is only one generation.

The larvae feed on the leaves of Betula, Populus and Salix species. Larvae can be found from spring to fall in the south and from July to August in the north. The species overwinters in the pupal stage.