Paranthrene robiniae
Encyclopedia
The Western Poplar Clearwing (Paranthrene robiniae) is a moth
of the Sesiidae
family. It is found from sea level to near the timber line from Alaska
southward along the Pacific Coast to southern California
and throughout the Rocky Mountains
into the desert southwest and as far east as Kansas
and North Dakota
.
The wingspan
is 23-30 mm for males and 30-36 mm for females. Adults are yellow-black, with orange brown forewings with somewhat darker veins. The hindwings are transparent with a conspicuous deep yellow discal mark and fringed with dark brown scales. Adults emerge mostly from March to August, depending on location. In central California, most emerge by mid June, in eastern Washington as late as mid September and in the extreme southern range in California, specimens have been taken from February to May and again in November.
The larvae feed on poplar, willow and birch. Poplars are generally favoured, although willows seem preferred in some areas of California and Oregon. Black cottonwood, balsam poplar, and white poplar, as well as several hybrids poplars, are also recorded as hosts. Newly hatched larvae crawl over the bark for a few hours before selecting suitable sites to begin feeding. The larvae initially excavate cavities in the phloem and cambium and later galleries into the wood. The larvae feed during two successive summer and fall seasons. The first winter in the galleries, which are loosely packed with frass
and the second winter in pupal chambers near the distal ends of the galleries. These distal ends are capped with silk, but no cocoons are formed. Pupation lasts two to three weeks. A generation requires two years over most of its range but may be of shorter duration in its southern range.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Sesiidae
Sesiidae
The Sesiidae or clearwing moths are family of the Lepidoptera in which the wings partially have hardly any of the normal lepidopteran scales, leaving them transparent. The bodies are generally striped with yellow, red or white, sometimes very brightly, and they have simple antennae...
family. It is found from sea level to near the timber line from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
southward along the Pacific Coast to southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and throughout the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
into the desert southwest and as far east as Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 23-30 mm for males and 30-36 mm for females. Adults are yellow-black, with orange brown forewings with somewhat darker veins. The hindwings are transparent with a conspicuous deep yellow discal mark and fringed with dark brown scales. Adults emerge mostly from March to August, depending on location. In central California, most emerge by mid June, in eastern Washington as late as mid September and in the extreme southern range in California, specimens have been taken from February to May and again in November.
The larvae feed on poplar, willow and birch. Poplars are generally favoured, although willows seem preferred in some areas of California and Oregon. Black cottonwood, balsam poplar, and white poplar, as well as several hybrids poplars, are also recorded as hosts. Newly hatched larvae crawl over the bark for a few hours before selecting suitable sites to begin feeding. The larvae initially excavate cavities in the phloem and cambium and later galleries into the wood. The larvae feed during two successive summer and fall seasons. The first winter in the galleries, which are loosely packed with frass
Frass
Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts. It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi...
and the second winter in pupal chambers near the distal ends of the galleries. These distal ends are capped with silk, but no cocoons are formed. Pupation lasts two to three weeks. A generation requires two years over most of its range but may be of shorter duration in its southern range.