''Sesia bembeciformis'', the lunar hornet moth, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family

Sesiidae The Sesiidae or clearwing moths are a diurnal moth family in the order Lepidoptera known for their Batesian mimicry in both appearance and behaviour of various Hymenoptera. The family consists of 165 genera spread over two subfamilies, contai ...

. It is found in Europe. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...

is 32–42 mm. The length of the forewings is 15–19 mm. ''Sesia bembeciformis'' is hardly distinguishable from its closest congener'' Sesia apiformis''. However, ''apiformis'' has yellow 'epaulettes' on the "shoulders" directly above the wing bases; ''Sesia bembeciformis'' is dark coloured at this point except for the yellow neck ring.''bembeciformis'' is also smaller and has a black head. In general, females are considerably larger than males. It resembles a big hornet (''

Vespa crabro The European hornet (''Vespa crabro'') is the largest eusocial wasp native to Europe. It is also the only true hornet (genus ''Vespa'') found in North America, having been introduced to the United States and Canada from Europe as early as 1840. ...

'') really well - an instance of mimicry. The moths appear in June, July and August, they are then found resting on the trunks willows . These include sal willow (''

Salix caprea ''Salix caprea'', known as goat willow, pussy willow or great sallow, is a common species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia.Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland''. BSBI Handbook 4. . Des ...

''), ash willow (''

Salix cinerea ''Salix cinerea'' (common sallow, grey sallow, grey willow, grey-leaved sallow, large grey willow, pussy willow, rusty sallow) is a species of willow native to Europe and western Asia.Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain ...

'') and ear willow (''

Salix aurita ''Salix aurita'', the eared willow, is a species of willow distributed over much of Europe, and occasionally cultivated. It is a shrub to 2.5 m in height, distinguished from the similar but slightly larger '' Salix cinerea'' by its reddish ...

''). The eggs are laid on the bark. The larvae first gnaw between the bark and the wood, but later crawl further into the stem. Larva development takes 3 – 4 years. The species has a hidden way of life, and the imago lives only briefly, which makes it easily overlooked.

External links

Lunar hornet moth at UKmothsLepiforum.deVlindernet.nl
Moths described in 1806 Sesiidae Moths of Europe Moths of Asia Taxa named by Jacob Hübner {{Sesiidae-stub