''Xanthia icteritia'', the sallow, is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family (biology), family of moths. Taxonomically, they are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly ...

. It is found in the

Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The ...

(Europe except for the furthest south, and east to

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

). The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

is 27–35 mm. The moth is similar to the pink-barred sallow (''

Xanthia togata ''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 ar ...

'') but the median fascia usually differs. In some cases it is missing completely, in others the wings show a very small annular spot.

Technical description and variation

Forewing pale yellow; markings the same as in

, but the cloud on costa beyond submarginal line, the costal end of the median shade, and the subbasal costal blotch prominently dark brown; the dark blotch at base of reniform with a pale centre; the fringe yellow; head and shoulders pale yellow; hindwing whitish; — ''flavescens'' Esp. is a unicolorous form in which all the brown lines and shading are absent, the lines and edges of the stigmata being sometimes represented by slender faint rufous lines, the lower end of the reniform stigma alone remaining deep brown and the fringes reddish brown; an intermediate form occurs in which the markings are pale reddish brown, either distinct or faint, and approaching; ''asiatica'' Hmps. from the Sir Daria, has more orange yellow forewings, with dark brown markings, the antemedian and postmedian costal patches absent; the fringe dark brown at tips.

Biology

The moth flies from July to October depending on the location. The larvae are difficult to tell apart from the pink-barred sallow (''Xanthia togata'') and the larvae feed on

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

and poplar.

References

External links

Sallow at UKmoths
Taxonomy
Fauna EuropaeaLepiforum.deVlindernet.nl
{{Taxonbar, from=Q883546 Cuculliinae Moths described in 1766 Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Moths of Japan Taxa named by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel