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Peachtree Borer Moth --
Synanthedon exitiosa
Lepidoptera » Moths
» Sesioidea » Sesiidae » Sesiinae » Synanthedonini »
Synanthedon » Synanthedon exitiosa/ Hodges#2583
Live adult female moth photographed at Bartlett, Illinois, USA. Wingspan=15 mm |
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The peachtree borer is a member of the family Sesiidae, or "clearwing"
moths. |
| The Sesiidae are commonly called "clearwing moths" because
of their wings' lack of the usual Lepidopteran scales. The bodies are
generally striped with yellow or orange and they have simple
antennae. It is thought these moths are Batesian mimics or wasps
and hornets. The adult moths have long, narrow front wings and
shorter, wider hind wings. The hindwings, and in some species
the front wings are transparent. These moths fly during the day
and at twilight. Adult clearwings are known to enhance their
mimicry of wasps by intermittently running while rapidly
vibrating their wings. [1]
The peachtree borer is unusual in the family, as it pupates
in the soil instead of under tree bark as most other sesiids.
Compare to: the snowberry clearwing moth, of the family
Sphingidae (hawkmoths), genus Hemaris
The larvae of the Sesiidae are typically wood-borers, or burrow
in plant roots. Many species are serious pests of fruit-tree or
timber cultivation, or crop plants (e.g. Melittia spp. on
squash) (Edwards et al., 1999). The Sesiidae share their
common name with moths in the Hemaris genus of the family
Sphingidae; the
hummingbird clearwing and
snowberry clearwings
are members of Hemaris. They are generally much larger and
furrier than the Sesiidae and are much more able mimics, of
bumblebees and hummingbirds. [2]
See also: Albuna fraxini,
Virginia Creeper Clearwing - Hodges#2532
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| Clearwing moths go through four stages of life: egg, larva (moth
larvae are commonly called caterpillars), pupa, and adult. Adults
only live about one week, and do not directly cause damage to
plants. Eggs are laid in crevices or under the bark. The hatchlings
then tunnel into the wood where they spend their larval stage. It is
this period when they damage the host tree's food and
water-transport tissues. Mature woody plants can often withstand
attacks by a few moths, but extreme cases of tunneling can weaken or
kill branches and sometimes the entire tree may die. [3]
References
- Ray R. Hicks, Ecology and
Management of Central Hardwood Forests (Wiley, 1998).
- Russell M. Burns, SILVICS
OF NORTH AMERICA VOL. 2, HARDWOODS (Forest Service, USDA,
1990).
- Colin Tudge, The Tree: A
Natural History of What Trees Are, How They Live, and Why They
Matter, Reprint. (Three Rivers Press, 2007).
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