Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFSesiidae Members: Synanthedon Members: 8 NC Records

Synanthedon arkansasensis Duckworth & Eichlin, 1973 - Arkansas Clearwing

Synanthedon arkansasensisSynanthedon arkansasensisSynanthedon arkansasensis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Sesioidea		 Family:
Sesiidae		Subfamily:
Sesiinae		Tribe:
Synanthedonini		P3 Number:
55a0117		 MONA Number:
2575.00
Comments: As currently recognized, Synanthedon arkansasensis appears to contain several cryptic species. These are currently under study and awaiting resolution. Here, we continue to recognize North Carolina material as a single species until research is completed on this group.
Species Status: 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, and most 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 arkansasensis is best identified using several characters that include a black antenna, yellow collar, a black thorax with lateral yellow stripes, a yellow, transverse band on the metathorax, and a black abdomen with yellow bands on all segments except for segment 1. The discal mark on the wing is black with orangish scales on the distal margin, and the apical fifth of the wing has yellowish-orange scales that fill the area between the veins. The following detailed description of the male is mostly from that of Eichlin and Duckworth (1988).

The antenna is black and the vertex of the head bluish-black. The front of the head is mostly bluish-black with white laterally, and with pale yellow dorsolaterally beneath the scape. The occipital fringe (collar) is yellow, and the labial palp is smooth and pale yellow. The thorax is bluish-black with a subdorsal yellow stripe on each side, and a yellow, transverse band on the posterior margin (metathorax). The area beneath the wing is mostly yellow. The abdomen is mostly bluish-black, with all segments except the first edged posteriorly with yellow. All segments below, except for the third, are usually edged posteriorly with yellow. The anal tuft is black above with a yellow to orangish-yellow margin. The tibia and tarsus of the foreleg are yellow, while the midleg has the tibia yellow with bluish-black at the spurs. The tarsus is yellow ventrally and bluish-black dorsally. The tibia of the hindleg is bluish-black dorsolaterally, with yellow ventrally and at the spurs, while the tarsus is mostly yellow. The forewing is hyaline, with the veins and margins blackish. Orange or yellowish-orange scales fill the area between the veins on the apical fifth, and outline the blackish discal spot, particularly on the distal edge. The underside is powdered with orange or yellowish-orange on the veins and in the apical region between the veins. The hindwing is hyaline, with black veins and margins, and a black costa that is often dusted with yellowish-orange scales on the basal half.

Female are similar to the males except for wider abdominal bands, an anal tuft that is mostly yellow with bluish-black laterally and medially, and more extensive orange powdering on the forewing, both apically, and along the costa and inner margin.
Forewing Length: 7-10 mm (Brown and Mizell, 1993).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The host plants and larval life history are undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Synanthedon arkansasensis is primarily found in the southeastern US, with the range extending from southern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland southward to northern Florida, and westward to central Texas, central Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and southern Ohio. As of 2024, our records are all from a cluster of counties in the east-central and northeastern Piedmont.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Synanthedon arkansasensisAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: The adults fly year-round in Florida, and from May through September elsewhere in the range. This species has a brief flight period in North Carolina, with all of our records as of 2024 from mid-August through early-September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The preferred habitats are poorly documented; many of our specimens are from semi-wooded residential neighborhoods.
Larval Host Plants: As of 2024, the hosts are undocumented. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are mostly diurnally active, but are attracted to black lights in the early evening. They can also be taken using artificial pheromone traps.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S2S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species appears to be uncommon to rare in North Carolina where it is restricted to a cluster of counties in the triangle area.

 Photo Gallery for Synanthedon arkansasensis - Arkansas Clearwing

Photos: 7
Synanthedon arkansasensisRecorded by: David George on 2021-09-04
Durham Co.
Comment: Member of species complex		Synanthedon arkansasensisRecorded by: David George on 2021-08-30
Durham Co.
Comment: Member of species complex
Synanthedon arkansasensisRecorded by: David George on 2021-08-30
Durham Co.
Comment: Member of species complex		Synanthedon arkansasensisRecorded by: David L. Heavner on 2021-08-16
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Synanthedon arkansasensisRecorded by: Paul Scharf on 2013-09-01
Warren Co.
Comment: 		Synanthedon arkansasensisRecorded by: Paul Scharf on 2009-08-29
Warren Co.
Comment:
Synanthedon arkansasensisRecorded by: Paul Scharf on 2009-08-29
Warren Co.
Comment: