The
Sesiidae or
clearwing moths are a family of the
Lepidoptera in most species of 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. The general appearance is sufficiently similar to a
wasp or
hornet to make it likely that the moths gain a reduction in predation by
Batesian mimicry. This enables them to be active in daylight. They are commonly collected using
pheromone lures. Worldwide there are 151
genera, 1370
species, and 50
subspecies. Most of these occur in the
tropics, but there are many species in the
Holarctic region.