Sesiidae  

Sesiidae (Clearwing Moths)
These are small- to medium-sized moths that resemble wasps. They have long dark bodies, often with fine yellow rings, and narrow wings. The forewings are black, dark gray, or transparent, while the hindwings are always transparent. Clearwing Moths fly during the day and visit flowers for nectar. They not only look like wasps, but sometimes act like them as well

Wing venation??description:

Forewing venation reduced behind CuA, R4 and R5 stalked, CuP absent, 1A+2A short (sometimes lost).  Hindwing with veins Sc+R1 and Rs parallel and close to the costal fold.

Wing venation:

heteroneurous

Wing coupling description:

Unique retinaculo-frenate wing coupling mechanism involving a foldment of the posterior margin of forewing ventrally bent connected with a dorsally folded costal margin in the hindwing.

Apomorphies:

Retinaculo-frenate wing coupling supplemented by unique modification of adjacent wing margins.  Female frenulum with a single bristle.  Forewing behind CuA with only short, unbranched remnant of 1A+2A (often lost).  Hindwing with medial stem displaced forward.  Wasp-like wing proportions, with proximally markedly narrowed forewing

Systematic and taxonomic history:

The family historically was known as Aegeriidae, which was proposed by Stephens in 1828, based on the genus Aegeria, which was described by Fabricius in Illiger 1807. The name Sesiidae was proposed by Boisduval in 1828, based on the genus Sesia Fabricius 1775. It is now widely accepted that Sesiidae is the correct name for the family. Sesiids traditionally were considered to be most closely related to Choretuidae and Tortricidae, but Cossidae, Castniidae, and Brachodidae have all been implicated as close relatives of Sesiidae over the last few decades. Heppner (1998) placed Sesiidae and Brachodidae as sister groups with Urodidae Choreuridae as the sister to that pair. Minet (1986, 1991) proposed that Sesioidea is comprised of Brachodidae (Sesiidae Castniidae), and this arrangement was followed by Edawrds et al. (1999) who further linked Cossoidea to the Sesioidea and referred to it as the “Cossoid/Sesioid Assemblage." According to Edwards et al. (1999), “The foundations for a modern phylogenetic classification of the Sesiidae were laid by Naumann (1971)…” who divided the family into two subfamilies based primarily on the Holarctic fauna. Tinthiinae includes three tribes: Tinthiini, Pennisetiini, Paraglosseciini, and Similipepsini. Sesiinae includes six tribes: Paranthrenini, Cissuvorini, Sesiini, Osminiini, Melittiini, and Synanthedonini.