Sesia apiformis (Clerck, 1759)

Taxonomy, synonyms and combinations

• Aegeria apiformis [11].

Distribution

• Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Corsica, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, the Soviet Union - The European part of Turkey - European part, Finland, France, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Estonia,Yugoslavia. [1].
• Albania, Andorra, the Balearic Islands, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the British Isles, France, Germany, Greece (mainland), Denmark (mainland), Ireland, Spain (mainland), Italy (mainland ), Corsica, Crete, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova,Netherlands, Norway (mainland), the Channel Islands, Poland, Portugal (mainland), Romania, Russia, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey (European part), Ukraine, Finland, France (mainland), Croatia, Czech Republic Switzerland, Sweden, Estonia, Yugoslavia. [10].
• Regions of the Russian Federation: the Volga-Don, East Caucasus, the European North-West, the European Central Black Earth, the European Central European South taiga, the Western Caucasus, Krasnoyarsk, Lower Volga, Prealtay, Mid-Volzhsky, Mid-Ural, South West Siberian , Southern Urals. [3].
• Areal - warm Europe, England, in the north reaches only to central Sweden. In the Alps, it gets up to 2000 meters high. [5].

Imago Habitus and Differences from alike species

• The largest European sesiidae. Length of front wing may fluctuate. But only within 1.5-2 cm.For the exterior of a large sesiidae, as well as for many other sesiidae characterized only by the fact that butterflies are not too similar, and resemble bees and other wasps because of the black and yellow coloring of the body and visible clear (devoid of scales ) windows on the wings.It Sesia apiformis, despite its Latin name, is more like a hornet, good size and it is the largest among the European sesiidae species. Besides the size, it is distinguished from the relatives of the yellow shoulders chest. [5].
• The wingspan of up to 40 mm. Outwardly, and the truth is more like than a bee. [11].
• Wingspan: 30-50 mm. [PC93].

General info about Imago

• Most sesiidae flying along the streams and rivers with poplar trees on the banks, on the floodplain forests and similar places. It occurs most often other species sesiidae. Like many other members of the family, this butterfly is active in the daytime, in fact - prefers the hottest time of, for example, mixed grass meadows.Sounds like a hawk moths, large poplar sesiidae may hang in front of flowers and drink the nectar in this position, and during the flight noisy buzzing, almost like hornets. [5].

Imago lifespan

• From late May to late July. [5].
• Mid summer. [11].

General info about Larva

• Once hatched, the young larvae burrow into the ground and take root in the root system of the tree, and then live there for two years, performing at that time moves under the bark, in wood. [5].
• Caterpillar gnaws moves in the wood and roots of host plants. [11].

Larva food plants / other food objects

• Black Poplar, at least - aspen and willow. [5].
• Poplar, aspen, willow. [11].

Larva lifespan

• The caterpillars can be found from August to May. [5].

Pupa

• Pupation occurs only in the third year of life of a caterpillar. [11].

Egg

• Females lay eggs on the bottom of the barrel willows and aspens, and sometimes even srasyvayut them in flight. [5].

Overwintering stage

• Caterpillar. [5].

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Sesia spartani Eichlin & Taft, 1988

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