''Synanthedon pictipes'', the lesser peachtree borer, 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. It is known from the eastern half of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

westward to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

in the north and eastern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

in the south. 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 of ...

is 18–25 mm. Adults are black with a metallic sheen and whitish yellowish markings on the head and thorax and a narrow band on the abdomen. The wings are transparent. Males and females are similar, but males are more slender and have a finely tufted antenna. Adults emerge over the entire growing season, but peaking in spring and early summer. Spring generations emerge from early April to late July, while summer generations emerge from early July to November. There are two generations per year in the south and one (although sometimes a partial second) generation occurs in the north. The larvae feed on peach, plum, cherry, beach plum and black cherry. Peach is the major cultivated plant host and the principal native wild plants attacked are cherry and plum. The larvae usually establish in bark cavities around wound margins and may infest old uninjured trees that have rough bark. '' Cytospora'' species cankers are particularly favorable for invasion. When development is completed, larvae construct cocoons to pupate.wiki.bugwood.org
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References

Sesiidae Moths described in 1868 {{Sesiidae-stub