DISTRIBUTION:

Syssphinx colla grisea (wingspan: males: 57-70mm; females: 75-91-95mm (NS)) flies in
Mexico: Yucatan, Quintana Roo; and in
Belize: Cayo: Las Cuevas, and Toledo.

Dan Janzen reports them in
Costa Rica. Reports from Colombia may be inaccurate.

Speckling is not as intense as in colla colla and forewings are more rounded and dull grey.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Syssphinx colla grisea moths are on the wing in May and June.

Syssphinx colla grisea female, Pook's Hill Reserve, Cayo District, Belize,
June 23, 2006, courtesy of Brant Reif, id by Kirby Wolfe.

Concerning the female depicted above, Kirby Wolfe writes, "The bug from Belize is Syssphinx colla grisea. It is definitely not an Adeloneivaia because its threadlike antennae lack rami on the basal half unlike in Adeloneivaia, which are unusual among the citheronids because of this character."

Syssphinx colla grisea female, Las Cuevas, Cayo District, Belize,
95mm, courtesy of Art Gilbert and Norm Smith.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Syssphinx colla grisea moths probably eclose in the evening with scenting and mating likely occuring the same night between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Syssphinx colla grisea moth females deposit light green ova either singly or in pairs on hostplant foliage. Eggs are translucent and caterpillar development can be seen through the eggshell. Warm weather results in a very short incubation time of five days. Larvae mature at various rates and have the enlarged thoracic scoli typical of Syssphinx. Silver, metallic markings reflect light at night. Pupation is in a subterranean chamber with eclosions following in as little as two weeks.

Larval Food Plants

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

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The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

The genus name "Syssphinx" was probably chosen for the similarity of these moths (wing shape and resting position) to moths in the Sphingidae family.

I do not know the meaning of or reason for the species name "colla". The subspecies name "grisea" refers to the grey colouration of the wings.