Carmenta giliae Edwards 1881

A widespread but seldom collected species; no concern.

Adults have been collected in Alberta in late July.

Western Alberta to northwestern BC, south to Arizona and New Mexico.

A small (2.5 cm wingspan), wasp-like clearwing moth. The head and body are dark black-brown, with the palps, fringe of the head and the dorsal side of the thorax marked with pale yellow hairs. The abdomen has three or four narrow, pale yellow bands. The forewing is hyaline (without scales) except along the veins and fringe. The veins are lined with dark grey or brown scales, mixed with paler yellow and rust ones. The discal mark is prominent and filled with bright yellow-orange scales, and with a narrow partial border of black-brown scales on the basal side. The hindwings also lack scales except for the fringe and the vein lining. The scales covering the veins are mixed with pale yellow and rust ones, in particular along the basal half of the wings. The multiple narrow yellow bands on the abdomen, the bright red-orange discal bar and the lack of infilling of the area beyond the discal bar on the forewing tip will separate giliae from the other similar-sized Alberta clearwing moths.

Mid to high elevation montane meadows.

No Alberta data. Poorly known. Like all sesiids, the larvae are undoubtedly borers in the host plant. A female was observed ovipositing on wild Geranium, and sesiid larvae have been obtained from the roots of wild Geranium on more than one occasion, but none have been successfully reared to adults (Englehardt, 1946).

Apparently a borer in the roots of wild Geranium (Geranium sp.).

Carmenta giliae is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It was described by Henry Edwards in 1881, and is found from western Alberta to north-western British Columbia, south to Arizona and New Mexico. The habitat consists of mid-to-high elevation montane meadows.

The wingspan is about 25 mm.

The larvae bore in the roots of wild Geranium species.