David Element
Wildlife Photography and Digital Video Images
______________________________________________________________Moths
64 – Yellow-legged Clearwing Moths
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
YELLOW-LEGGED
CLEARWING MOTH Synanthedon vespiformis (f)
·
Comparison with reference material for other
black-and-yellow European clearwing moths (Sesiidae) has indicated that the subject of these images,
photographed in the Vendée, France, by an Oak Quercus
spp. wood (the
larvae feed underneath the bark of recently felled trees) is a female Yellow-legged Clearwing Moth Synanthedon vespiformis with bright yellow abdominal markings that were
broader and more pronounced than average. There is clearly some degree of
variation, judging from on-line reference photographs, and the irregularity of
the abdominal stripes is inconsistent with those of the similar Six-belted Clearwing Moth Bembecia ichneumoniformis
as the
spacing between the black-and-yellow stripes of the latter is more uniform. The
wings of freshly emerged clearwing moths are covered by scales, but these are
quickly shed, reinforcing the subterfuge that these insects use to deter
predators by resembling wasps (Batesian
mimicry). Also
contributing to the illusion is their convincingly wasp-like flight. The moth
in the photographs is presumed to have emerged shortly beforehand, and it
appeared that some of her shed scales were still loosely attached to the transparent
area of her right hindwing. Purely by chance, an (unidentified) digger wasp
started to feed on the same Water
Mint Mentha aquatica flowers as
the moth when these photographs were being taken, and the 10th and
11th images show the wasp feeding underneath its mimic. Pheromone
lures are often used by lepidopterists to attract clearwing moths as they have
a deserved reputation for being elusive and they may easily be overlooked!
-> Moths 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122
-> Species Index, Common Names
-> Species Index, Scientific Names
-> Site Index
-> Home