Syssphinx erubescens
Updated as per Lemaire's Ceratocampinae 1988, September 26, 2006

Syssphinx erubescens
SIS-sfinkzMer-yoo-BESS-kens
(Boisduval, 1872) Adelocephala

Syssphinx erubescens female, Claude Lemaire.

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:

Syssphinx erubescens (wingspan: males: ?; females: 75mm) flies in Brazil. This may be the same as thiaucourti.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Syssphinx erubescens moths are probably on the wing in February-March.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Syssphinx erubescens 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.

The species name "erubescens" is indicative of the reddish (blushing) tint to the wings.