Ribbed Pine Borer vs Currant Clearwing

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ribbed Pine Borer Currant Clearwing
Scientific Name Rhagium inquisitor Synanthedon tipuliformis
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Cerambycidae Sesiidae
Size 10–21 mm 17-22 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Underground
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, North America, Asia Europe, temperate Asia (introduced worldwide)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Ribbed Pine Borer

A longhorn beetle found across northern forests that develops under the bark of dead conifers. Adults are active in spring on freshly cut logs.

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Did You Know?

Larvae create distinctive flattened pupal chambers under the bark, lined with coarse wood fibers.

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.