ENY 3005 Family Identification
Lepidoptera: Sesiidae
Pronunciation: seh-SIGH-i-dee
Common name: clear-winged moths
Identifying characteristics for the family Sesiidae include:
- Moths often resemble wasps and bees in coloration and marking.
- Wings elongate, often transparent owing to the lack of scales.
Additional information:
- The peach tree borer and squash vine borer are 2 damaging species in this family.
-
The western poplar clearwing moth mimics the yellowjacket wasp.
References:
- Pages 242-243 and plate 12 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970.
A Field Guide to the Insects. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
- Pages 307-308 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978.
How to Know the Insects, 3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
- Pages 424-427 and plates 60-61 C. V. Covell, Jr. 1984.
A Field Guide to the Moths of Eastern North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 496 p.
- Page 630 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. 1989.
An Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing. 875 p.
-
Page 545 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction
to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.
Links to other Lepidoptera taxa:
Papilionidae,
Pieridae,
Lycaenidae,
Nymphalidae,
Danaidae,
Satyridae,
Hesperiidae,
Sphingidae,
Saturniidae,
Geometridae,
Arctiidae,
Noctuidae,
Sesiidae.
Links to other web sites
One image above was extracted from "Forest Insects and Their Damage," a
two-volume set of Kodak Photo CDs produced by the Southern Forest Insect
Work Conference. For further information check out the SFIWC web site:
Return to ENY 3005 Index to Orders
Prepared by John L. Foltz,
University of Florida, Dept of Entomology & Nematology, 20 October 1998.
Modified 12 June 2001.