Moths of North Carolina
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7 NC Records

Synanthedon pictipes (Grote & Robinson, 1868) - Lesser Peachtree Borer Moth

Synanthedon pictipesSynanthedon pictipes
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Sesioidea		 Family:
Sesiidae		Subfamily:
Sesiinae		Tribe:
Synanthedonini		P3 Number:
55a0091		 MONA Number:
2550.00
Comments: North America has 136 or more species in the family Sesiidae, and the large genus Synanthedon constitutes around half of the 37 species found in North Carolina, many being similar in appearance to one another. Some sesiids, known broadly as clearwing borers, are significant pests of commercial crops. Almost all are mimics of wasps and hornets.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2018)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Eichlin and Duckworth (1988)Technical Description, Immature Stages: King (1917)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Synanthedon pictipes resembles a few other of our Synanthedon species and can be distinguished by the black antenna, the white mark in front of the eye, the clear, transparent wings, the banding pattern on the abdomen, and the predominantly black legs with contrasting white hair tufts. The following description of the male is based mostly on the descriptions by Engelhardt (1946) and Eichlin and Duckworth (1988).

The antenna is black, while the labial palp is black above and yellowish beneath. The head and vertex are bluish-black, and often mixed with pale yellow on the posterior margin, while the face is bluish-black and broadly white before the eyes. The occipital fringe (collar) is bluish-black dorsally and pale yellow laterally. The thorax is bluish- or coppery-black, with two narrow, pale-yellow, lateral stripes above, and two broader, yellow marks on the underside before the wing base. The forewing is hyaline with the margins, discal spot, and veins bluish-black. Some of the veins and the wing margins may be weakly powdered with pale yellow scales, while the discal spot and costal margin are strongly dusted with pale yellow below. The hindwing is hyaline. The abdomen is predominantly black overall with blue or coppery reflections. Paired pale yellow or white spots are typically present on the anterior dorsal margin of segment 1. Segments 2 and 4 have fine pale-yellow to white markings that are limited largely to the sides of the posterior margins, but sometimes extend partially or fully across the top of those segments. The anal tuft is wedge-shaped and bluish-black, with a trace of white on the lateral margins. The legs are mostly bluish-black or coppery black, with pale yellow and white on the forecoxa laterally, on the tufts at the tibial spurs, and around the joints of the tarsal segments. Females are very similar to the males, with the discal mark and outer wing margin slightly broader. The yellow banding on the abdominal segments are the same as the male, but often more pronounced, and the anal tuft is straight and narrow.

Males of Synanthedon pictipes are similar to males of S. fatifera, but the former has a white patch in front of the eye (see Taft et al., 1991), and a collar on the back of the head that is black above and white or pale-yellow on the sides. Synanthedon pictipes is also similar to S. exitiosa, but the latter has an amber tint to the hyaline wings, and lacks the patch of white scales in front of eyes that are present on Synanthedon pictipes (see Taft et al., 1991). Synanthedon pictipes is also very similar to S. castaneae, which was rediscovered in North Carolina in 1985 after it was thought to have been extirpated due to the loss of American Chestnut. The easiest way to distinguish between the two is by examining the collar behind the head, along with the hind tibia. In S. pictipes the collar is yellow along the sides and the tibia is tufted with yellow at both the anterior and posterior spurs, whereas in S. castaneae the collar is black and the tibia is tufted with yellow only at the posterior spurs.
Wingspan: 18-23 mm for males; 20-25 mm for females (Engelhardt, 1946).
Forewing Length: 8-12 mm (Eichlin and Duckworth, 1988).
Adult Structural Features: Eichlin and Duckworth (1988) provide descriptions of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: The larvae are borers that feed on several species of trees such as Black Cherry, and are of significant economic importance because of the damage that they cause in peach orchards (Bobb, 1959). There have been several detailed life history studies published, starting with early works such as that of Girault (1907) and King (1917). The following life-history account is mostly based on that reported by King (1917) and Solomon (1996). Local populations in the southern half of the range commonly have two generations, with the first emerging from early April through late-July and the second from early-July through November. The females typically deposit their rusty-colored eggs on cankers or in broken bark or bark crevices at the edge of tree wounds that are a meter or less from the ground, but sometimes higher up on major tree branches. They will also oviposit in uninjured areas where the bark is roughened (Bob, 1959; Cottrell et al., 2008). Development to hatching takes 8-20 days depending on the time of year. Females often concentrate their egg laying around these sites, so that the local densities of larvae can reach high levels. The hatchlings make their way into the bark where they create irregular galleries and feed on the cambium and inner bark. The galleries commonly have gummy secretions from the host plant that are mixed with reddish frass, and both are often expelled at or near the wound site. Heavy, repeated infestations around wounds can often girdling and kill a branch or an entire tree.

The larvae pass through six instars, with the larval period of the spring brood lasting around 40-50 days. Larvae from the summer brood overwinter as early to late-instars, resume growth during the spring warm-up, and pupate the following spring. The full-grown larvae are 20-26 mm in length and have a creamy-white body and a yellowish-brown head and prothoracic shield (King, 1917). When fully grown the larvae burrow towards the surface of the outer bark, where they leave a thin disk or membrane over the mouth of the burrow that allows the pupa and adult to escape to the outside. Pupation occurs within cocoons that are constructed behind the membrane, and the adults emerge from the bark surface 15-28 days later depending on the time of year. The cocoons are 12-20 mm long and are constructed of fine chips of bark and wood frass that are held together by silken threads. The adults emerge during the early morning hours, with the caste pupal skins often remaining partially protruding from the bark surface. Mating occurs within a few hours or less after emergence, and the females fly about depositing batches of a few eggs at a time in bark crevices near wounds or other oviposition sites.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Synanthedon pictipes is found in southern Canada from Alberta and Saskatchewan eastward to Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, and throughout most of the eastern US. The range in the US extends from Maine southward along the Atlantic Seaboard to northern Florida, and westward to eastern Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and southeastern North Dakota. As of 2024, we have only a few scattered records from the Piedmont. This species occurs in peach orchards in North Carolina, but locality records are poorly documented.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Synanthedon pictipes
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: The adults fly from March through December in Florida and Texas, and mostly from May through July or August in the northern part of the range. As of 2024, our records are from early-June through early-August.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are found in forests, orchards and residential areas where the food plants are present.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed on native trees that are members of the Rosaceae, as well as cultivated peaches, plums, and cherries (King, 1917; Forbes, 1923; Eichlin and Duckworth, 1988; Solomon, 1995; Heppner, 2007; Cottrell et al., 2008; Robinson et al., 2023). Reports of this species using American Chestnut and Northern Red Oak may be due to misidentification of S. castaneae or other Synanthedon species (King, 1917) and need additional verification. The reported native hosts include Canadian Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis), American Plum (Prunus americana), Chickasaw Plum (P. angustifolia), Carolina Laurel Cherry (P. caroliniana), Beach Plum (P. maritima), Fire Cherry (P. pensylvanica), and Black Cherry (P. serotina). Adults were reared in North Carolina from American Chestnuts from Polk County that were girdled (Girault, 1907), but see the comment above concerning possible misidentification. Engelhardt (1946) also noted that swellings and distortions caused by the Black-knot Fungus (Apiosporina morbosa) on branches of Black Cherry often are inhabited by the larvae. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are diurnal and are not attracted to lights or bait, but frequently visit flowers for nectar, and are often spotted resting on vegetation. The males are strongly attracted to artificial pheromone lures and traps.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Although this species is widespread in eastern North America, it is almost certainly more common in the state than records indicate. The dearth of records is likely more of an artifact due to the inconspicuous nature of S. pictipes, combined with so few observers deploying the specialized methods required to sample for it.

 Photo Gallery for Synanthedon pictipes - Lesser Peachtree Borer Moth

Photos: 2

Recorded by: Michael David on 2022-06-05
Wake Co.
Comment: CC BY-NC (cropped)		Recorded by: Roger Rittmaster on 2007-08-05
Durham Co.
Comment: CC BY-NC