Sesioidea is the superfamily currently containing clearwing moths (Sesiidae), castniid moths (Castniidae) and little bear moths (Brachodidae). There is evidence from head and thoracic morphology that the first two families, internally feeding in plants as caterpillars, are sisters, whilst some brachodids are known to feed on leaf surfaces. Sesioidea are considered to be the sister group of Cossoidea which contain the also internal-feeding Goat and Leopard moths.
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.
Synanthedon spheciformis, the white-barred clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is found in Europe and Siberia.
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.
Pyropteron chrysidiforme, the fiery clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is found in Europe, more specifically in Spain, Portugal, Majorca, southern England, Belgium, France, Corsica, Sardinia, Italy and southern Germany.
Ichneumenoptera chrysophanes, the clearwing persimmon borer, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is found from Cairns in Queensland to Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory.
Bembecia ichneumoniformis, the six-belted clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae.
Oligophlebia is a genus of moths in the family Sesiidae, the clearwing moths. They are native to the Palearctic realm.
Albuna fraxini, the Virginia creeper clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is known from the northern United States and southern Canada.
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.
Chamaesphecia hungarica, the Hungarian clearwing moth, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is native to the south-eastern Czech Republic and Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Serbia and Croatia. It was originally approved for introduction into the United States in 1993. It has been released at several leafy spurge-infested sites in Montana and North Dakota.
Camaegeria xanthopimplaeformis is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is known from eastern Madagascar.
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.
Synanthedon flaviventris, the sallow clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. The larvae form pear-shaped galls on sallows.
Synanthedon scoliaeformis, the Welsh clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is found from almost all of Europe, east through Russia to Japan.
