Moths of North Carolina
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Synanthedon Members:
2 NC Records

Synanthedon fulvipes (Harris, 1849) - No Common Name

Synanthedon fulvipesSynanthedon fulvipes
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Sesioidea		 Family:
Sesiidae		Subfamily:
Sesiinae		Tribe:
Synanthedonini		P3 Number:
55a0105		 MONA Number:
2563.00
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: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Eichlin and Duckworth (1988)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Synanthedon fulvipes is best identified by its predominantly black body, hyaline wings, and bright orange legs that contrast sharply with the black body. The following detailed description of the male is based on those of Engelhardt (1946) and Eichlin and Duckworth (1988).

The antenna has short pectinations and is slender and black, with white or pale yellow before the tips. The labial palp is orange below, and black above and along the sides. The vertex and occipital fringe of the head are black, while the front is black with white laterally. The thorax is black with a large orange patch beneath the wings. The abdomen varies from lustrous coppery to black, with segments 2-4 orange along the sides, and segments 1-4 mostly orange below. Specimens occasionally have segment 4 with a complete orange band above. The anal tuft is wedge-shaped and uniformly blackish. The coxae and femora of the legs are brownish-black, while the tibia and first tarsal segment are orange, with the remaining segments blackish or with some orange, especially on the fore- and mid-tarsi. The forewing is hyaline, with the veins, costa, and very narrow outer margin black. The discal mark is narrow and outwardly edged with orange, and the wing base and costa are dusted with orange. The underside is pale yellow to orange along the costa to the wing base. The hindwing is hyaline with very narrow margins. It has a very small black discal mark, a costa that is often dusted with pale yellow to the wing base, and brownish-black fringes. The females are similar to the males, but have a simple antenna with the apical one-third pale yellow, and an anal tuft that is straight and blunt.
Wingspan: 23-24 mm for males and 18-22 mm for females (Engelhardt, 1946).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are borers that feed on birches, but details of the larval life history are undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Synanthedon fulvipes is found in eastern North America and has northern affinities, with the range including portions of southern Canada (Manitoba; Ontario; Quebec; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia) and the northern US from southern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York southward to Pennsylvania. Possible geographic isolates are also known from northern Michigan, Minnesota, and western North Carolina. As of 2024, we have records for two specimens that were taken on different dates at a site in Ashe County.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Synanthedon fulvipes
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 have a relatively brief flight period, with records from May through July in different areas of the range, and a seasonal peak commonly in June. As of 2024, both of our specimens are from late-May.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our sole site record for this species as of 2024 comes from the crest of a north-facing slope that was covered with mesic hardwoods.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae appear to specialize on birches, including Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) (Eichlin and Duckworth, 1988). Our two records as of 2024 are from a site where Yellow Birch (B. alleghaniensis) and Sweet Birch (B. lenta) are both present, with one or both presumably serving as the host. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are diurnally active and are not attracted to lights or bait. They are occasionally seen resting on vegetation during the day and nectaring on plants, and can be collected using artificial pheromone traps.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Montane Mesic Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [SR]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNR [S1]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This is a species that appears to be rare or uncommon throughout its range and that is associated with Northern Hardwood forests. The site where this species has been collected in North Carolina is hundreds of miles from the next known population in Pennsylvania.

 Photo Gallery for Synanthedon fulvipes - None

Photos: 2

Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2021-05-31
Ashe Co.
Comment: Specimens confirmed by Bill Taft		Recorded by: J.B. Sullivan on 2021-05-31
Ashe Co.
Comment: Specimens confirmed by Bill Taft