Pennisetia marginata
Encyclopedia
The Raspberry Crown Borer or Blackberry Clearwing Borer (Pennisetia marginata) is a moth
of the Sesiidae
family. It is widespread in the United States
, mainly in the east and along the Pacific Coast, ranging north into the southern parts of Canada
. It is an introduced species in Hawaii
.
The wingspan
is 20-35 mm. Adults are on wing from July to September and are active during the day. Adults have a black body with some yellow streaking and four or more narrow yellow bands around the abdomen. The wings, where scaled, are dark olive and red-brown, and there is a prominent dark bar.
The larvae feed on Rubus
species. They bore in the rootstock and root crowns of their host plant.
The complete life cycle requires two years in most cases, although some complete in a single year.
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 widespread in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, mainly in the east and along the Pacific Coast, ranging north into the southern parts of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is an introduced species in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
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 20-35 mm. Adults are on wing from July to September and are active during the day. Adults have a black body with some yellow streaking and four or more narrow yellow bands around the abdomen. The wings, where scaled, are dark olive and red-brown, and there is a prominent dark bar.
The larvae feed on Rubus
Rubus
Rubus is a large genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae. Raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries are common, widely distributed members of the genus. Most of these plants have woody stems with prickles like roses; spines, bristles, and gland-tipped hairs are...
species. They bore in the rootstock and root crowns of their host plant.
The complete life cycle requires two years in most cases, although some complete in a single year.