Clearwing Moth (Sesiidae) ? - Chamaesphecia empiformis

Locations

I can't add anything on the ID or the presence of host plants but I did figure out the location of Sidney, ON (where Ch. empiformis was released in 1971). It's a former municipality, now a geographic place name, about 12 - 15 km NW of Belleville. Picton, where Ch. tenthrediniformis was released, is about 25 km SE of Belleville. So in terms of location, any of these could have been a source for moths at Tweed.

… Alec McClay, 20 February, 2018 - 12:57pm

Host Plant

This record was tentatively accepted at MPG.

Your email confirmed the presence of the cypress spurge. What about leafy spurge? C. tenthrediniformis was released ~50 km away in Picton. The two species may not be separable by photo. C. tenthrediniformis would seem less likely to have become established based on my reading of the literature cited below.

… Steve Nanz, 20 February, 2018 - 4:09am

Update

There have been five species of Chamaesphecia released in the United States and Canada:

+Chamaesphecia hungarica (Tomala, 1901)
+Chamaesphecia tenthrediniformis ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
+Chamaesphecia empiformis (Esper, 1783)
+Chamaesphecia astatiformis (Herrich-Schäffer, 1846)
+Chamaesphecia crassicornis Bartel, 1912

Not sure how to tell them apart, but is it possible that this moth is one of the other three not yet mentioned in this thread?

… Kyhl Austin, 18 February, 2017 - 1:11am

Moved tentatively

Moved from Clearwing Moths.

… Kyhl Austin, 8 January, 2016 - 9:54am

If/when the ID is decided,

I have created a guide page for this species here.

… Kyhl Austin, 19 December, 2015 - 12:17am

Moving this image

I agree that we should move this image to your guide page. We can never be sure but we are close enough for now.

… William H. Taft, 8 January, 2016 - 8:49am

New page?

If these introductions ended decades ago, then it seems reasonable to assume that the critter is established, and that a new genus page (at least) is in order.

Can we go any further? Alec says that C. empiformis was released nearby. From what I've read, C. hungarica was released in Montana and North Dakota. But perhaps it was released elsewhere as well?

I'd be interested in knowing what folks think. Should this be moved into the Guide? And, if yes, to what level?

… Ken Wolgemuth, 19 November, 2015 - 5:57pm

New page?

I'm not a taxonomist so will defer to the experts. Is this picture distinctive enough to place it in Chamaesphecia as opposed to any North American sesiid genus? If so then a genus page seems justified. It seems from what I read that it's not possible to reliably identify these to species from adult pictures.

… Alec McClay, 19 November, 2015 - 6:30pm

A biocontrol agent?

Chamaesphecia empiformis was released several times in the 1970s and 1980s as a biological control agent for cypress spurge, Euphorbia cyparissias, but it has never been reported as established. Some of the releases were in Belleville, only about 40 km from Tweed. Was there any spurge growing around where the picture was taken?

… Alec McClay, 12 November, 2015 - 5:24pm

Cypress Spurge

Cypress Spurge grows in this area.

I found references to this moth being released at various times in Ontario, didn't know about Belleville.

… Joe Bartok, 12 November, 2015 - 5:52pm

Cypress spurge

There's a list of these releases in Harris, P. 1984. Euphorbia esula-virgata complex, leafy spurge and E. cyparissias L., cypress spurge (Euphorbiaceae). pp. 159-169 in J.S. Kelleher and M.A. Hulme (Eds.), Biological Control Programmes against Insects and Weeds in Canada 1969-1980. Slough, UK: Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux. It also mentions one at Sidney, Ont. I don't know where that is. These releases were in 1970 and 1971.

… Alec McClay, 13 November, 2015 - 11:01am

Cypress Spurge

Now that I know what cypress spurge is this was photographed within 200 sq ft of where the spurge was but it was a 2 to 3 weeks after they had finished flowering.

… Jason King, 12 November, 2015 - 5:47pm

MOTH ID

This looks like a european species called Chamaesphecia_empiformis. This may be another introduction.

… William H. Taft, 12 November, 2015 - 6:50am

Moth ID

The males of Ch. empiformis and Ch. hungarica are very similar! The specimens presented on picture is perfect, just emerging from pupa. It's a pity because picture has green suffusion. In newly emerged specimens, the strong differences between Ch. empiformis and Ch. hungarica is color of the rings on abdominal tergites (2,4,6 and 7). The color in Ch. hungarica is yellow to golden yellow, while in Ch. hungarica the yellow colored scales possessing intensive green shin. Because Ch. hungarica was also included in the release program during 90' probably best option molecular confirmation of the collected moths. In any case, I am happy to see Chamaesphecia established in N. America.

… Ivo Tosevski, 19 November, 2015 - 3:11am

question

This image was taken in Ontario? What type of habitat?

… William H. Taft, 10 November, 2015 - 6:26am

Location

I was on a trail going through mixed woodlands near a sewage lagoon. It was in Eastern Ontario

… Jason King, 10 November, 2015 - 7:55am

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Ken Wolgemuth, 9 November, 2015 - 2:19pm