Syssphinx colloida
SIS-sfinkzMkol-LOY-duh
(Dyar, 1925) Adelocephala

Female Syssphinx colloida moth courtesy of Chris Conlan.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY: Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Subfamily: Ceratocampinae, Harris, 1841 was Syssphinginae: Packard, 1905 Genus: Syssphinx, Hubner [1819] 1816

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DISTRIBUTION:

The Syssphinx colloida (wingspan: males: 56(ESS)-61-67mm??; females: 71-77mm?? // fwl: males: 27-28mm; females: ) flies western Mexico: Jalisco, Colima and western Oaxaca.

Spotting of forewings is heavy with a relatively even distribution of "dots".

Syssphinx colloida male, 66mm, western Oaxaca, Mexico,
on my home computer only.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing from July to September. Larvae feed on various acacias.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Green translucent eggs are deposited in small rows on host foliage or stems. Early instar larvae are green with elongated thoracic scoli which arch out over the head. Scoli are somewhat diminished relative to body size in fifth (final) instar, and arch over the body instead of the head. Larvae pupate in small chambers underground. Photo courtesy of Chris Conlan.

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.

Acacia baileyana Acacia collinsii Acacia dealbata Acacia flexicaulis Gleditsia triacanthos Parkinsonia microphyllum..... Pithecellobium saman Prosopsis juliflora

Bailey's acacia Bullhorn acacia Silver wattle Ebony blackbead Honeylocust Jerusalem thorn Rain tree Honey mesquite

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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 suspect the species name "colloida" is descriptive of the relatively even distribution of small dark spots on all wings.