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.
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.
Paranthrene tabaniformis, the dusky clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is found in the Palearctic and Nearctic realms.
Pennisetia hylaeiformis, the raspberry clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae.
Synanthedon culiciformis, known as the large red-belted clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is found in the Palearctic and Nearctic realms.
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.
Nokona carulifera is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is only known from Kuranda in Queensland, but probably occurs throughout the western coastal regions of Queensland.
Pseudosesia isozona is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is found in Queensland, Australia.
Melittia doddi is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is known only from Queensland, where it was collected near Kuranda.
Melittia chalybescens is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is known only from Queensland, where it was collected near Kuranda and Mackay.
Ichneumenoptera commoni is a moth of the family Sesiidae which was described by W. Donald Duckworth and Thomas Drake Eichlin in 1974. It is known only from the male type which was collected near Toowoomba in Queensland, Australia.
Ichneumenoptera xanthogyna is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is known only from locations near Kuranda in Queensland, Australia.
Albuna fraxini, the Virginia creeper clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is known from the northern United States and southern Canada.
Paranthrene robiniae, the western poplar clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is found from sea level to near the timber line from Alaska southward along the Pacific Coast to southern California and throughout the Rocky Mountains into the desert southwest and as far east as Kansas and North Dakota.
Paranthrene simulans, the red oak clearwing borer, hornet clearwing or oak clearwing borer, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is found in eastern North America, from Nova Scotia to Florida, west to Minnesota, Missouri and Mississippi.
Sesia tibialis, the American hornet moth, poplar clearwing borer or cottonwood crown borer, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is known from North America, including British Columbia, Colorado, Utah, Michigan, Montana, Washington, California and Arizona.
Pyropteron muscaeforme, the thrift clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is known from most of Europe. A small member of its genus, the wingspan is 15–18 mm. It is further distinguished by narrow clear (transparent) spaces on the blackish, or bronzy, forewings. There are three whitish bands on the body, and traces of a whitish line along the middle of the back.
Synanthedon formicaeformis, the red-tipped clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae and can be found in all of Europe, the eastern Palearctic realm, and the Near East. The larvae sometimes form pear-shaped galls on willows. It was first described by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1783.
Bembecia scopigera, the six-belted clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is found from central Spain over most of south-western and central Europe, the Balkans, Greece, southern Russia and Ukraine to Turkey.
Synanthedon flaviventris, the sallow clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. The larvae form pear-shaped galls on sallows.
