Chamaesphecia empiformis

Cypress spurge clearwings ( Chamaesphecia empiformis ) to a pheromone trap

The cypress spurge Clearwing ( Chamaesphecia empiformis ) is a butterfly of the family of the Clearwing ( Sesiidae ).

• 5.1 Notes and references

Features

The moths reach a wingspan of 13-22 millimeters. You have transparent wings, wing veins and whose edges are scaly pale yellow and dark. On the fore wings a wide black transverse band is visible. The abdomen is pale yellow with scales and partly dark, with rings can be seen. On abdomen end sits a wider, darker and on the front edge and in the center yellow bins.

The caterpillars are about 20 mm long. They are whitish in color and have a brown head. The neck plate is only very weakly indurated.

Occurrence

The animals live in open, dry areas, such as on dry grass, gravel pits or on forest edges, where their food grows.

Way of life

The diurnal moths are difficult to detect because of their small size, but they are found in the nectar eyes on Cypress Spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias ), privet ( Ligustrum spp.) And agrimony ( Eupatorium sp. ).

Flight times and caterpillars

The moths fly from late May to late August, the caterpillars are found from September to May of next year.

Food of the caterpillars

The caterpillars feed on monophagous of Cypress Spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias ), in the woody rootstock they live.

Development

The females lay their oval, black eggs singly on the leaves of their food plant. The resulting hatching caterpillars feed in the rhizome of the plant a six to seven inches long corridor. In autumn the plants dry up much sooner than non-affected. Pupation takes place in the rootstock.

Swell