Pyropteron (Pyropteron) chrysidiformis

• Subfamily: Sesiinae - Synanthedonini
• Wingspan: 15-26 mm
• Flight period: May - Aug
• Spread: Common
• Host plants: Polygalaceae (Rumex sp.)

Information

The Pyropteron chrysidiformis also called Fiery Clearwing is a moth of the Sesiidae family with a wingspan of 15-26 mm.
In Europe we find it in the Iberian Peninsula, in the United Kingdom, in France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Romania. *
In Italy it is also present in the islands. *

The front wings of the Pyropteron chrysidiformis are orange with a dark gray / black costa and termen. There is a large transparent area more or less coinciding with the discoid cell, which ends in the postdiscal area with a dark spot.
The transparent area in the vicinity of the apical area is reduced at times completely absent.

The hind wings are transparent edged in gray / black with black or orange veins, the costa is gray / black with internal shades of orange, wider near the apex. All wings are fringed.
Chest and abdomen are brown / black, the abdomen is crossed by two lines generally whitish; the head, the torax, the tuft in the anal area and the legs are orange. The antennas are black.

The Pyropteron chrysidiformis in Italy has two generations, the first is visible from May to July, the second is visible in August.
It is found in areas with draining soils, railway embankments, road quays, also reported in the areas coastal with pebble, or pebble beaches, and in all soils suitable for satisfying the needs of host plants ruderals with warm microclimate which favor the development of the moth.

The eggs are gray / black ovoid knurled flattened on the long side, and they are deposited on the stems or leaves of the host plant. **
The larva is whitish in color, with a brown / amber colored head, and lives inside the roots of the host plant where it pupates, the pupa is dark ocher with brown shades. **

The larvae feed on the roots of various Rumex species.


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/ -