65.007 Chinese Character

Cilix glaucata

TQ4692 03/06/2022 ©Raymond Small

A small moth that can easily be mistaken for a bird dropping when at rest. Its name is due to silvery markings on the wing resembling a character in the Chinese alphabet. Larval foodplants include Blackthorn, Hawthorn and Crab Apple. This species belongs to the family Drepanidae which has two sub-families - the Drepaninae and the Thyatirinae. The Drepaninae have broad wings and slender bodies and this is the only one out of the seven species found in Britain that does not have prominent hooked tips on the forewings.