52.014 : 382 : 4070
Sesiidae : Sesiinae

Six-belted Clearwing

BEMBECIA ichneumoniformis ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
Picture
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
Description
Wingspan: 15-21mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - not Irish Republic : Asia Minor : Caucasus : N.Iran : Near East.
UK Distribution: England - Recorded in most counties from Cornwall east to Kent and north to Staffordshire,Nottinghamshire,Derbyshire & Yorkshire : Wales - Recorded in Pembrokeshire and the Gower : Channel Islands - rare (MGBI)
UK Conservation Status -
  • Nationally Scarce B (Nb - BAP : 1997) = 31 - 100 10Km Squares
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Sphinx ichneumoniformis ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
Type Species - Bembecia
  • Sphinx ichneumoniformis ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
Type Locality -
  • Austria - Vienna District
Flight Period: South - late May to August
Pheromone Lure: - API positioned 250mm above the ground
Habitat: Chalk Downland : Coastal Grasslands : Embankments : Cliffs : Quarries
Similar Species -
  • None
Larva: The larva is greyish-white and transparent showing the dorsal vessel with a light brown mottled head.The larva feeds inside the roots of the larval food plants making then difficult to locate without digging up the plant which is impracticable.
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: The six yellow "belts" along the abdomen which give the moth its vernacular name , combined with orange dusting of the forewing identify this moth from other Clearwings.The size of the males tend to vary, as can be seen in the male photos below with some considerably smaller than others.

One of the accepted ways of finding these moth is with the use of a sweep net, although with today's modern pheromones males can be attracted in good numbers as shown in the photos below when 30 appeared to the pheromone which was API

Males can be found on the flowers of Salad Burnet whilst females can be found egg laying of leaves of the larval food plant which is normally Bird's-foot trefoil
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.
  • Fabaceae - Leguminosea - The Pulse - Bean - Pea - Legume Family
    • Anthyllis vulneraria - Kidney Vetch - Woundwort
    • Dorycnium germanicum - Silk Dorycnium
    • Dorycnium herbaceum - No common Name
    • Dorycnium hirsutum - Hairy Canary-clover
    • Dorycnium pentaphyllum - Prostrate Canary-clover
    • Hippocrepis comosa - Horseshoe Vetch
    • Lotus corniculatus - Bird's-foot Trefoil - Common Bird's-foot Trefoil
    • Lotus pentaphyllos - No Common Name
    • Lupinus polyphyllus - Big-Leaf Lupin
    • Macroptilium lathyroides - Wild Bushbean
    • Ononis spinosa - Spiny Rest Harrow
    • Lotus maritimus - Dragon's teeth 
Larval Food Plants
Taxonomy
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Type Species BEMBECIA:

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Type Locality:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Cossoidea
Sesiidae
Sesiinae
BEMBECIA Hübner,[1819]
Bembecia ichneumoniformis ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
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Sphinx ichneumoniformis ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
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SPHINX ichneumoniformis ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
= Sphinx vespiformis Hübner, 1796
= Sphinx systrophaeformis Hübner, [1813]
= Sphinx rhagioniformis Hübner, [1806]
= Sesia palpina Dalman, 1816
= Sesia statuiformis Freyer, 1836
= Aegeria cryptiformis Walker, 1856
= Sesia albanica Rebel, 1910
= Scopigera auct.
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SPHINX (Linnaeus, 1758)
= Dipsosphecia Spuler 1910
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Ankündung eines systematischen Werkes von den Schmetterlingen der Wienergegend : Title Page : p.44 - n.7
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Austria-Vienna District