Red-Tipped Clearwing Moth

Red-Tipped Clearwing Moth

Synanthedon formicaeformis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Manchester

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%

12 Verified sightings at Manchester
June Best month
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted

About the Red-Tipped Clearwing Moth

Synanthedon formicaeformis, the red-tipped clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae and can be found in all of Europe, the eastern Palearctic realm, and the Near East. The larvae sometimes form pear-shaped galls on willows (Salix spp). It was first described by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1783.

The eggs are laid in axils, bark crevices or stump edges of Salix species from the end of May to late-July. The larvae feed inside the stems of various Salix species, including Salix viminalis. According to Heath and Emmet (1985) the larvae give little external sign apart from a slight browning, and at the edge of a broken stem frass may be seen. The larvae feed between the wood and the bark and can be found in their tunnels when the bark is peeled back. When there are galls they can be pear-shaped, or a ″peculiar shape″ with the ″diameter of the stem above the gall greater than that below, which continues for some distance″. Galls can be similar to the sallow clearwing (Synanthedon flaviventris).

The pupa is 12–14 mm long and does not make a cocoon. The emergence holes have a diameter of circa 2.5 mm and before pupation can be hidden by a thin cap. The exuviae can... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
3 Saint Petersburg 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Red-Tipped Clearwing Moth in Manchester?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Tipped Clearwing Moth sighting in Manchester on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 278th most-seen of the 458 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Red-Tipped Clearwing Moth in Manchester?

June and July

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Tipped Clearwing Moth in Manchester on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Red-Tipped Clearwing Moth?

Between 6 and 9 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-Tipped Clearwing Moth sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.

Is Manchester the best place to see a Red-Tipped Clearwing Moth?

Yes

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Red-Tipped Clearwing Moth sightings, Manchester has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come London (United Kingdom, under 5%) and Saint Petersburg (Russia, under 5%).

Where does the Red-Tipped Clearwing Moth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Red-Tipped Clearwing Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Manchester (12 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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