The bee-mimicking moth Heterosphecia tawonoidesMARTA SKOWRON VOLPONIAfter not finding a single specimen for 130 years, the oriental blue clearwing moth Heterosphecia tawonoides was re-discovered by entomologists in the jungles of Malaysia. The species was known only from a damaged museum specimen that had been collected in 1887. It not only looks like a bee, it also behaves like a bee in real life, the scientists found. 

M.A.S. Volponi & P. Volponi, "A 130-year-old specimen brought back to life: A lost species of bee-mimicking clearwing moth, Heterosphecia tawonoides (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae: Osminiini), rediscovered in peninsular Malaysia's primary rainforest," Trop Conserv Sci, doi:0.1177/1940082917739774, 2017. 

Interested in reading more?

The Scientist ARCHIVES

Become a Member of

Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member?