The Sesiidae or clearwing moths are a family of the Lepidoptera in which the wings have hardly any of the normal lepidopteran scales, leaving them transparent. The bodies are generally striped with yellow, 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.
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