Sesiidae : Sesiinae
Yellow-legged Clearwing
SYNANTHEDON vespiformis (Linnaeus, 1761)
Yellow-legged Clearwing
SYNANTHEDON vespiformis (Linnaeus, 1761)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 17-24mm
Worldwide Distribution: Southern & Central Europe-not Ireland,Norway,Finland,Latvia and some Mediterranean Islands : Asia Minor : Syria : Lebanon : Russia : Caucasus
UK Distribution: England - recorded in most counties from the south and south-west northwards to Yorkshire. Also found on Isle of Wight. Wales - south
UK Conservation Status -
Type Locality -
Habitat: Open Woodland : Parks : Hedgerows
Similar Species - Diagnostic features below easily identify the moth
Pheromone Lure - VES -1M from ground
Larva: The body is brownish-white with internals showing through the transparent skin. Head is light brown.
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: This moth is easily recognised by the yellow legs which give this Clearwing its vernacular name.
There is a reddish bar on the forewing about a third down from the apex.Four yellow abdominal rings complete the identifying features for this moth.Sometimes the leading and trailing edge of the forewing is bordered with red as in f.rufimarginata Schnaider, 1942
The female prefers to use freshly cut stumps to deposit the ova but will continue to use these up to about three years.Habitat areas can be identified by checking for frass between the bark and main wood at the top of the cut stump or in splits between the bark of the larval food tree although males are normally attracted using today's modern pheromones lures which for this moth is VES ideally situated approximately one metre above ground using an uncluttered branch.
Although the moth is nationally scarce its accepted that this,like most Clearwings are under-recorded
Worldwide Distribution: Southern & Central Europe-not Ireland,Norway,Finland,Latvia and some Mediterranean Islands : Asia Minor : Syria : Lebanon : Russia : Caucasus
UK Distribution: England - recorded in most counties from the south and south-west northwards to Yorkshire. Also found on Isle of Wight. Wales - south
UK Conservation Status -
- Nationally Scarce B (Nb - BAP : 1997) = 31 - 100 10Km Squares
- Least Concern
- Sphinx vespiformis Linnaeus, 1761
Type Locality -
- Not Specified
Habitat: Open Woodland : Parks : Hedgerows
Similar Species - Diagnostic features below easily identify the moth
Pheromone Lure - VES -1M from ground
Larva: The body is brownish-white with internals showing through the transparent skin. Head is light brown.
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: This moth is easily recognised by the yellow legs which give this Clearwing its vernacular name.
There is a reddish bar on the forewing about a third down from the apex.Four yellow abdominal rings complete the identifying features for this moth.Sometimes the leading and trailing edge of the forewing is bordered with red as in f.rufimarginata Schnaider, 1942
The female prefers to use freshly cut stumps to deposit the ova but will continue to use these up to about three years.Habitat areas can be identified by checking for frass between the bark and main wood at the top of the cut stump or in splits between the bark of the larval food tree although males are normally attracted using today's modern pheromones lures which for this moth is VES ideally situated approximately one metre above ground using an uncluttered branch.
Although the moth is nationally scarce its accepted that this,like most Clearwings are under-recorded
Photo Gallery
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.
- Cupressaceae - Cypress Family
- Juniperus communis - Juniper
- Fagaceae - Oak - Chestnut - Beech Family
- Castanea sativa - Sweet Chestnut
- Fagus sylvatica - Beech
- Quercus ilex - Holly Oak - Holm Oak
- Quercus petraea - Sessile Oak
- Quercus robur - Pedunculate Oak - Common Oak
- Juglandaceae - Walnut Family
- Juglans regia - Walnut
- Pinaceae - Pine Family
- Abies alba - Silver Fir
- Rosaceae - Rose Family
- Malus pumila - Paradise Apple
- Prunus persica - Peach
- Salicaceae - Willow Family
- Populus tremula - Aspen Poplar
- Ulmaceae - Elm Family
- Ulmus glabra - Wych Elm - Scots Elm
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Betulaceae - Betula - Birch
- Hippocastanaceae - Aesculus - Horse Chestnut
- Vitaceae - Vitis - Grape
- Betulaceae - Betula - Birch
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Ulmus glabra - Wych Elm - Scots Elm
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species SYNANTHEDON: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Cossoidea Sesiidae Sesiinae SYNANTHEDON Hübner, [1819] Synanthedon vespiformis (Linnaeus, 1761) - Sphinx oestriformis Rottemburg,1775 - SPHINX vespiformis Linnaeus, 1761 = Sphinx asiliformis Rottemburg, 1775 = Sphinx oestriformis Rottemburg, 1775 = Sphinx cynipiformis Esper, 1783 = Sphinx chrysorrhoea Donovan, 1795 = Aegeria auct. - Fauna Suecica (Edn 2 enlarged) : Title Page : p.289 - n.1095 - Not Specified |