52.007 : 381 : 4048

Sesiidae : Sesiinae

Large Red-belted Clearwing

SYNANTHEDON culiciformis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Life Cycle Guide

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Description

Wingspan: 23-27mm
Worldwide Distribution: Holarctic regions from Europe - less some Mediterranean Islands, eastwards to Asia and west to N America
UK Distribution: England - recorded in most counties from Devon to Kent northwards towards Lancashire and Yorkshire. : Wales - recorded in N Wales and Glamorgan : Scotland - recorded in Aberdeenshire,Kincardineshire : Channel Isles - rare in Jersey
UK Conservation Status -

• Nationally Scarce B (Nb - BAP : 1997) = 31 - 100 10Km Squares

European Conservation Status -

• Least Concern
  

Original Species Name -

• Sphinx cuculiformis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Type Species - Synanthedon

• Sphinx oestriformis Rottemburg,1775

Flight Period: South - early May to early July - weather dependent,one of the earliest Clearwings to appear.
Pheromone lure: CUL lure positioned 1M from the ground
Habitat: Coppiced Birch woodland,stumps cut in previous two years : Heathland with Alder and Birch scrub.
Usually only appear under sunny conditions.
Similar Species -

• Red-tipped Clearwing - Synanthedon formicaeformis (Esper, 1782)
• Red-belted Clearwing - Synanthedon myopaeformis (Borkhausen, 1789)
  

Larva: The larva is dull white with a reddish-brown head.The larvae are fairly easy to find by firstly locating light Birch woodland, looking for previously cut stumps of two years old or more, where the old exit holes can be found or look for frass between the bark and main tree body.
The life cycle possibly is two years with the larva overwintering twice.
Overwinters as: Larva within its cocoon
Observations: The moth has a broad red abdominal band with red scales in the basal area of the forewing which is diagnostic.
Although searching for this moth can be as described under "larva" above ,males are usually attracted using today's modern lures, which in this case is CUL.
The worn male below was attracted to this pheromone at Silchester common, a mixture of Birches,Heather and Gorse.

Photo Gallery

Large Red-belted Clearwing - Synanthedon culiciformis - (Linnaeus, 1758) - Silchester Common - 16 May 2015

Larval Food Plants Worldwide

Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website where further information like photos,physical characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.

• Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.

• Betulaceae - The Birch Family 
  
  • Alnus glutinosa - Alder
  • Alnus icana - Grey Alder
  • Alnus rhombifolia - White Alder
  • Alnus viridis - Green Alder
    
  • _Betula pendula - Silver Birch
    
  • Betula pubescens - Downy Birch
    

• Salicaceae - Willow Family
  
  • Salix Caprea - Goat Willow - Pussy Willow
    
    • Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
      
      • Caprifoliaceae - Sambucus - Elder/Elderberry
        

Larval Food Plants

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Taxonomy

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Type Species SYNANTHEDON:

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Literary Ref:

Type Locality:

Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Cossoidea
Sesiidae
Sesiinae
SYNANTHEDON Hübner,[1819]
Synanthedon culiciformis (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Sphinx oestriformis Rottemburg,1775
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SPHINX cuculiformis (Linnaeus, 1758)
= Sphinx culex Retzius, 1783
= Aegeria lutescens Mosley, 1896 Auct
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Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.493 - n.29
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Europe