''Synanthedon tipuliformis'', known as the currant clearwing, is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Sesiidae The Sesiidae or clearwing moths are a diurnality, diurnal moth family (biology), family in the order Lepidoptera known for their Batesian mimicry in both appearance and behaviour of various Hymenoptera. The family consists of 165 genus, genera ...

. It is endemic to the

Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The ...

, but is an invasive species in the

Nearctic realm The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America t ...

and the

Australasian realm The Australasian realm is one of eight biogeographic realms that is coincident with, but not (by some definitions) the same as, the geographical region of Australasia. The realm includes Australia, the island of New Guinea (comprising Papua Ne ...

Description

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

is . The moths have transparent wings, which are scaled only on the wing veins, the discal spot and the wing edges. The scales shine in blue-black shades. At the apex of the forewings there are weakly formed reddish or yellowish longitudinal stripes. In the middle, an elongated black-brown discal spot can be seen, which extends from the front to the back edge. The hind wings have a narrow dark marginal band and a small black-brown discal spot. The antennae are black and yellow dusty on the underside. The black thorax has lateral yellow stripes. On segments two, four, six and seven of the black abdomen there are thin yellow rings in the males. Female moths show equally coloured rings on segments two, four and six. The tufts are strongly fan-shaped and of blue-black color.

Similar species

There is a great similarity to the following species: *Spuler's Clearwing ('' Synanthedon spuleri'') *'' Synanthedon conopiformis'') *Fir Clearwing ('' Synanthedon cephiformis'') *Sallow Clearwing ('' Synanthedon flaviventris'') *Mistletoe Clearwing ('' Synanthedon loranthi'') A reliable determination of the species should be carried out by specialists, since the differences in external appearance are very small.

Biology

The moth flies from April to July depending on the location. The larvae feed on ''

Ribes ''Ribes'' () is a genus of about 200 known species of flowering plants, most of them native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The species may be known as various kinds of currants, such as redcurrants, blackcurrants, and White ...

'' species, including '' Ribes nigrum'', ''

Ribes rubrum The redcurrant or red currant (''Ribes rubrum'') is a member of the genus ''Ribes'' in the gooseberry family. It is native to western Europe. The species is widely cultivated and has escaped into the wild in many regions. Description ''Ribes ...

'' and '' Ribes uva-crispa''. They bore into the stems to feed.

Life cycle

References

Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at :de:Synanthedon tipuliformis; see its history for attribution.

External links

Currant clearwing at UKmothsAustralian Faunal Directory

Lepiforum.de
Sesiidae Moths described in 1759 Moths of Japan Moths of Africa Moths of Europe Moths of New Zealand Taxa named by Carl Alexander Clerck {{Sesiidae-stub