| Pyropteron muscaeforme | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Sesiidae |
| Genus: | Pyropteron |
| Subgenus: | Synansphecia |
| Species: | P. muscaeforme |
| Binomial name | |
| Pyropteron muscaeforme | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Pyropteron muscaeforme, the thrift clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae that lives in 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. Adults can be found on the flowers of the host plant, as well as on thyme ( Thymus vulgaris ). Males are attracted to pheromone lures. It is found on exposed rocky areas where its larval food plant occurs and overwinters as a larva. [2]
Eggs are ovoid, are black with white retriculations and are laid on thrift ( Armeria maritima ). They can only be seen under magnification, as they are only c. 0.7 mm on the longest axis. [3]
Larvae are 11-15 mm long. They have a yellowish-white body, reddish-brown head and the prothorax is pale brown. They feed from August to May on the roots and stem in a silk-lined tunnel. In late summer and autumn, piles of reddish-frass can be seen extruding from infected stems. Plants with larvae are often on the edge of large patches of thrift. Larvae of Lobesia littoralis feed in the flowers, shoots and leaves in the spring and seeds in the autumn. [4] [5]
The pupa is slender and tapering, 12–14 mm long and is light reddish-brown with darker brown eyes, thorax and wings. It does not pupate in a cocoon. [3]
Originally named Sphinx muscaeforme by the German zoologist Eugen Johann Christoph Esper in 1783, the genus was erected by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Sphinx refers to the monument of the same name, near the great pyramid in Egypt, which has the body of a lion and the bust of a women. Linnaeus may have seen a similarity between the raised head of the statue and a larva with its head raised, although there is no evidence that the generic names Linnaeus chose, had any direct application to the insects in the genus. The present genus Pyropteron [ clarification needed ]was raised by the English entomologist Edward Newman in 1832. The specific name muscaeforme means in the form of a fly. [6]
The common swift is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It was previously placed in the genus Hepialus. It is a common, often abundant European species. The species was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The common white wave is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region. Their habitat is deciduous forests and their surroundings.
The orange swift or orange moth is a moth belonging to the family Hepialidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761 and was previously placed in the genus Hepialus. It is distributed throughout Europe.
Dyseriocrania subpurpurella is a diurnal moth from the family Eriocraniidae, found in most of Europe. The moth was first named by the English entomologist, Adrian Hardy Haworth in 1828.
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.
Zygaena trifolii, the five-spot burnet, is a day-flying moth in the family Zygaenidae found in North Africa and Europe. It was described by the German zoologist Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1783 from the type specimen found in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
The map-winged swift is a moth belonging to the family Hepialidae and has a patchy distribution throughout Eurasia. The species was first described by Charles De Geer in 1778. It was previously placed in the genus Hepialus and some references still place it there.
Anania hortulata, also known as the small magpie, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae found in Asia, Europe and North America. It was described, in 1758, by the 18th-century Swedish taxonomist, botanist, and zoologist, Carl Linnaeus.
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.
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.
Thalera fimbrialis, the Sussex emerald, is a species of moth of the family Geometridae, found in Europe and across the Palearctic to the area surrounding the Amur River in China. It was described by the Italian physician and naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1763.
Tachystola acroxantha is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It is native to Australia, but is an invasive species in New Zealand and Europe, probably imported with Australian plants.
Eriocrania chrysolepidella is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae found in Europe. It was first described by the German entomologist, Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1851. The larvae mine the leaves of hazel and hornbeam.
Stigmella sorbi is a moth of the family Nepticulidae, described by Henry Tibbats Stainton in 1861. It is found in most of Europe, east to the eastern part of the Palearctic realm.
Micropterix tunbergella is a moth of the family Micropterigidae found in most of Europe. The moths are very small and can be found feeding on the pollen of hawthorn, oak and sycamore. The larva and pupa are unknown. The moth was described Johan Christian Fabricius in 1787.
Coleophora argentula is a moth of the family Coleophoridae, found in most of Europe, Russia and Asia Minor. The larvae live in cases and feed on the seeds of yarrow and sneezewort.
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.
Coptotriche marginea is a moth of the family Tischeriidae, found in most of Europe. It was named by the English botanist, carcinologist and entomologist, Adrian Hardy Haworth in 1828, from a specimen found in England. The larvae mine the leaves of brambles (Rubus) species.
Synanthedon flaviventris, the sallow clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. The larvae form pear-shaped galls on sallows.
Acanthopsyche atra, the dusky sweep, is a moth of the family Psychidae. The habitat consists of heath and moorland.