DISTRIBUTION:

Syssphinx amena (wingspan: males: 53-63mm; females: 77mm) flies in tropical rain forests in
Brazil: Mato Grosso; and in
Ecuador: Sucumbios, Napo, Morona-Santiago, and probably Pastaza;
Peru: Junin, Huanuco and Puno;
Paraguay: UD: Concepcion, Guaira, Canindeyu and probably San Pedro, and
Bolivia: La Paz (TD) and Santa Cruz; at elevations of 500 to 1000 m.

The male forewing is very triangular in its shape. Both sexes have plain, grey-brown wings.

Syssphinx amena female, Concepcion, Paraguay, courtesy of Ulf Drechsel.

Syssphinx amena female, Paraguay courtesy of Ulf Drechsel.

Syssphinx amena female, Paraguay courtesy of Ulf Drechsel.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Syssphinx amena moths are on the wing in January-February and probably again in October and possibly at other times in the year. They probably feed on Acacia and Robinia.

Syssphinx amena female, Mbaracayu, Canindeyu, Paraguay, October 2008, courtesy of Paul Smith.

Syssphinx amena female, Mbaracayu, Canindeyu, Paraguay, October 2008, courtesy of Paul Smith.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Syssphinx amena moths tend to eclose in the evening with scenting and mating occuring the same night between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am.

Syssphinx amena male, Paraguay, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Syssphinx amena 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.

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.

Return to Syssphinx Index

Return to Main Saturniidae Index

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.

The species name "amena" means 'beloved' or 'friend' in Latin.