| Bembecia ichneumoniformis | |
|---|---|
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| Bembecia ichneumoniformis. Male | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Sesiidae |
| Genus: | Bembecia |
| Species: | B. ichneumoniformis |
| Binomial name | |
| Bembecia ichneumoniformis ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
List
| |
Bembecia ichneumoniformis, the six-belted clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae.
This species can be found in most of Europe and Asia Minor, the Caucasus, northern Iran and the Near East. [2] [3]
Bembecia ichneumoniformis prefers calcareous soils, sea-cliffs and quarries.
The wingspan of Bembecia ichneumoniformis can reach 15–21 millimetres (0.59–0.83 in). The body of these moths is black, with six yellow narrow transversal bands in males (hence the common name), while the females may have only five yellow bands. [4] Antennae are relatively thick. In males they are usually black, while in the females they may be either black with an ocher band or basically ocher with a black apex. The front wings show a yellowish or orange apex, a yellow orange spot separating two transparent areas and brownish orange margins. The abdominal brush is black with yellow lines. Legs are yellow.
Rather similar species are Pyropteron muscaeformis , Bembecia scopigera and Bembecia albanensis . There is a great similarity to other Bembecia species:
The males of Bembecia albanensis lack the inward point on the discal spot of the forewings, and the discal spot of the hindwings is yellowish in color. In the females, the anal brush is always monochromatic yellow.
Bembecia megillaeformis has only three yellow rings on the abdomen in males and four in females.
Bembecia uroceriformis is distinguished by the always monochromatic yellow brush.
Bembecia illustris shows an overall lighter appearance.
Since the external distinguishing features in the aforementioned species from Bembecia ichneumoniformis are small, a reliable determination should be made by specialists, and a genital morphological analysis is also advisable for clear assignment.
Like all the moths of the family Sesiidae, this species is similar in appearance and flight to a hymenopteran more than to a lepidopteran. The wings are partially free of scales (transparent areas) and narrower and more elongated than those of other butterfly families. In fact the Latin name ichneumoniformis means that its shape and colors, as well as the structure of its wings, evokes certain ichneumonids, not a butterfly.
It is likely that the alternating yellow and black bands protects this species from certain predators that associate these colors with those of insects with darts and venom such as wasps and bees.
Adults are on wing from June to August in western Europe. It is a day-flying species.
The larvae feed on the roots of Lotus species and Anthyllis vulneraria . Other recorded food plants include Lotus corniculatus , Ononis spinosa , Dorycnium pentaphyllum , Dorycnium germanicum , Dorycnium herbaceum , Dorycnium hirsutum , Medicago , Hippocrepis comosa , Lupinus polyphyllus , Tetragonolobus maritimus and Lathyrus pratensis . [3]
The caterpillar may be parasitized by other insects, particularly by Tachinidae species (especially Bithia demotica and Bithia proletaria , Bithia glirina and Leskia aurea ). [5]
Males are attracted by certain molecules, some of which also attract other species of butterflies (Tineidae et Choreutidae). [6]
The Sesiidae or clearwing moths are a diurnal moth family in the order Lepidoptera known for their Batesian mimicry in both appearance and behaviour of various Hymenoptera.
Aporia crataegi, the black-veined white, is a large butterfly of the family Pieridae. A. crataegi is widespread and common. Its range extends from northwest Africa in the west to Transcaucasia and across the Palearctic to Siberia and Japan in the east. In the south, it is found in Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon and Syria. It is not usually present in the British Isles or northern Scandinavia.
The large tortoiseshell or blackleg tortoiseshell is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.
Cyaniris semiargus, the Mazarine blue, is a Palearctic butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.
Lampides boeticus, the pea blue, or long-tailed blue, is a small butterfly that belongs to the lycaenids or gossamer-winged family.
The scarce copper is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae.
The purple-edged copper is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae.
The hornet moth or hornet clearwing is a large moth native to Europe and the Middle East and has been introduced to North America. Its protective coloration is an example of Batesian mimicry, as its similarity to a hornet makes it unappealing to predators. The hornet moth has been linked to the large dieback of poplar trees across Europe because its larvae bore into the trunk of the tree before re-emerging as adults.
Colias palaeno, known by the common names moorland clouded yellow, palaeno sulphur, and pale Arctic clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae.
Hipparchia statilinus, the tree grayling, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.
Cephonodes hylas, the coffee bee hawkmoth, pellucid hawk moth or coffee clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1771. A widely distributed moth, it is found in the Near East, Middle East, Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Southeast Asia and Australia.
Pennisetia hylaeiformis, the raspberry clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae.
Synanthedon myopaeformis is a moth of the family Sesiidae and the order Lepidoptera. In Europe it is known as the red-belted clearwing and in North America as the apple clearwing moth. The larvae create galleries under the bark of fruit trees, especially old trees with damaged trunks. During this process, the larvae cause significant damage to host trees. Particular attention has been paid to the damage they cause to apple trees. Their status as a pest of apple orchards has led to many research projects aimed at controlling populations of the moth. This moth is native to Europe, the Near East and North Africa. Recently, the moth was introduced into North America, being first detected in Canada in 2005. There are several organisms that threaten the larvae, including parasitoids, nematodes, and bacteria.
Synanthedon tipuliformis, known as the currant clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is endemic to the Palearctic realm, but is an invasive species in the Nearctic realm and the Australasian realm.
Melitaea didyma, the spotted fritillary or red-band fritillary, is a Palearctic butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.
Synanthedon andrenaeformis, the orange-tailed clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is known from most of Europe. It is also present in the Near East.
Zygaena hilaris is a species of moth in the family Zygaenidae.
Arethusana is a butterfly genus from the subfamily Satyrinae of the brush-footed butterfly family (Nymphalidae). It is composed of only one species, Arethusana arethusa, the false grayling.
Hovering is the ability exhibited by some winged animals to remain relatively stationary in midair. Usually this involves rapid downward thrusts of the wings to generate upward lift. Sometimes hovering is maintained by flapping or soaring into a headwind; this form of hovering is called "wind hovering", "windhovering", or "kiting".
