Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Synanthedon pyri (Harris, 1840)
Aegeria pyri Harris, 1840
Trochilium pyri
Sesia pyri
* phylogenetic sequence #080250
Explanation of Names
PYRI: from the Latin "pyrum" or "pirum" (a pear); the pear genus is Pyrus - pear trees are one of the hosts of this species
Identification
Adult - female: antenna pale yellow on apical half; fourth abdominal segment with broad yellow band; anal tuft brushlike with yellow laterally (MONA fascicle 5.1).
Larva - creamy white with brown head (head wider than long), covered in short, stiff hairs.
(1)Range
Southern Canada south to West Virgina, west to Illinois.
(1)Habitat
Orchards, pastures, wood edges and clearings, river floodplains.
Season
Adults fly from mid-May to mid-July.
Food
Larvae feed on bark and cambium of apple, pear and hawthorn.
(1)Life Cycle
One generation per year; eggs deposited in crevices in bark; incubation period 4-8 days; larvae are cannibalistic when confined; some larvae complete development in 13 months, others require 20-22 months; 85% have one-year life cycle, remainder take 2 years to develop; larvae overwinter in silken cells under bark; pupal stage lasts 13-23 days.
See Also
Dogwood Borer (S. scitula) has a rounded anal tuft (not wedge-shaped or brushlike), yellow "shoulder straps", and lacks yellow on the antennae.
Print References
Beutenmüller, W. 1901. Monograph of the Sesiidae of America, north of Mexico. Memoirs of the American Museum of Natural History 1(6):
297-298,
pl.31, f.16
(2)
Engelhardt, G.P. 1946. The North American Clear-wing Moths of the family Aegeriidae. United States National Museum Bulletin 190:
118-119,
pl.26, f.154
(3)
Solomon, J.D. 1995. Guide to insect borers in North American broadleaf trees and shrubs. USDA Forest Service Agriculture Handbook AH-706: 78-80, f.29 (
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