Derbid Planthopper vs Currant Clearwing

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Derbid Planthopper Currant Clearwing
Scientific Name Anotia bonnetii Synanthedon tipuliformis
Order Hemiptera Lepidoptera
Family Derbidae Sesiidae
Size 6-10 mm 17-22 mm wingspan
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Fungus Feeders Omnivores
Regions Eastern United States, Caribbean, Central America Europe, temperate Asia (introduced worldwide)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Derbid Planthopper

A delicate planthopper with elongated, paddle-shaped wings held flat over the body. It is pale yellowish-green and often found resting on palm fronds and broad-leaved plants.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most planthoppers, derbid nymphs are mycophagous, feeding on fungal hyphae in leaf litter and rotting wood before switching to plant sap as adults.

Currant Clearwing

A small wasp-mimicking moth with transparent wings and a black body banded with yellow. Its larvae bore into the stems of currant and gooseberry bushes.

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Did You Know?

Its wasp mimicry is so convincing that gardeners who encounter it rarely realise they are looking at a moth.