Syssphinx molina
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(Cramer, 1780) Phalaena Bombyx

Syssphinx molina male, courtesy of Chris Conlan.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke.
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

Syssphinx molina male, Ciudad Valles, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
74mm, 28 November 1978, courtesy/copyright Charles Bordelon and Ed Knudson.

Syssphinx molina male, aberration, Peru, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

DISTRIBUTION:

Syssphinx molina (wingspan: males: 64-68mm; females: 82-125mm // forewing length: males: 37.6-38.8mm; females: 46.8-52.8mm) flies at low elevations in
Suriname;
Mexico: Sonora, Sinaloa, Jalisco, San Luis Potosi (CB), Veracruz, Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Chiapas, Oaxaca (JCGM);
Belize: Corozol, Cayo, Stann Creek, Toledo;
Guatemala: Izabal (JM);
El Salvador: San Salvador;
Nicaragua: Nueva Segovia, Madriz, Jinotega, Matagalpa, Chinandega, Leon, Managua, Granada, Isle de Ometepe, Zelaya, Rio San Juan;
Costa Rica: Guanacaste (There may be two cryptic species, one in dry forest and one in rain forest in Guanacaste (DJ)) , Limon, Cartago, San Jose, Puntarenas (CL), Alajuela, Heredia (IB);
Panama: Barro Colorado (Canal Zone); Panama: Gamboa;
Honduras: (Atlantida and Olancho (RL)), Comayagua, Francisco Morazán, Yoro (confirmed by Ronald D. Cave);
western Colombia: Tolima (RTN), Valle de Cauca and Huila (CL), and Antioquia and Nariona (ARA) and probably Choco and Cauca (WO);
Ecuador: Pichincha, Manabi and probably Carchi, Imbabura and Esmeraldas (HK), and on the eastern slopes: Napo, Morona-Santiago and probably Sucumbios and Pastaza;
Peru: Amazonas (LTR), Junin, Huanuco, Madre de Dios, Cuzco, probably San Martin;
Bolivia: Cochabamba, Santa Cruz;
Venezuela: Zulia, Carabobo, Apure, Aragua, Distrito Federal, Miranda, Monagas, (Orinoco) Delta Amacuro, Bolivar;
Trinidad;
Guyana;
French Guiana: Kaw;
Brazil: Amapa, Amazonas, Para, Rio Grande do Norte, Bahia, Goias, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul (Santa Cruz do Sul);
Argentina: Buenos Aires, Entre Rios, Misiones, Salta; Cordoba (NV) and
Paraguay: UD: southern Boqueron, Presidente Hayes, Concepcion, San Pedro, Canindeyu, Cordillera, Caaguazu, Alto Parana, Guaira, Paraguari, and (probably Caazapa, Itapua (confirmed by Paul Smith), Misiones, Neembucu, Asuncion, Central, Amambay).

Syssphinx molina female, Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel.

Syssphinx molina female, Lita (Esmeraldas), Ecuador, courtesy/copyright Horst Kach.

The outer margin of the forewing is undulating (more pronounced in males), and there is a distinctly rounded dark spot in the hindwing and a uniform beige ground colour of body and wings. Syssphinx molina male, September, Huanuco Province, Peru, courtesy of Juan Chavez.

Visit Syssphinx molina male, Misahualli, Napo, Ecuador, March 3, 2009, courtesy of Steve Ife.

Visit Syssphinx molina males and female, Atlantida and Olancho, Honduras, April and July.

Visit Syssphinx molina male and female, Las Cuevas, Cayo, Belize, courtesy of Norm Smith.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing in January, March (SI) and August-September, November (CB), suggesting at least two broods. The moth probably broods continuously. Robert Lehman confirms April and July flights in Honduras.

Rodrigo Torres Nunez reports an April 5, 2008, flight in Tolima, Colombia.

In Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, it has been recorded January-March, May, September-November.

Adriana Inés Zapata, via Nigel Venters, confirms a flight in December-January in Cordoba, Argentina.

Syssphinx molina larvae feed upon Bailey's acacia (Acacia baileyana), Silk tree (Albizia adinocephala), Honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos), Rain tree (Pithecellobium saman), Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and Sallow/Goat willow (Salix capraea).

In Rio Grande do Sul it has been reported on Anacardiaceae, Ebenaceae, Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae, Fabaceae: Faboideae, Fabaceae: Mimosoideae, Moraceae, Salicaceae.

Bart Coppens reports success rearing them on Laburnum.

Syssphinx molina female, courtesy of Chris Conlan.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use highly developed antennae (quadripectinate for basal 2/3rds) to locate females at night by tracking her airbourne pheromone plume.

The falcate, sphinx-like wings of the male are evident in the image above.

Syssphinx molina female, Entre Rios, Argentina, courtesy of Daniel Rojas Lanus.

Visit Syssphinx molina male, Embrapa Forest Reserve, Moju, Para, Brazil, courtesy of Thibaud Decaens.

Visit Syssphinx molina male, Ecuador, courtesy of Leroy Simon.

Visit Syssphinx molina male (recto and verso), PN San Rafael, Itapua, Paraguay, courtesy of Paul Smith.

Visit Syssphinx molina males, Itanhandu, Minas Gerais, Brazil, January 6-7, 2010, courtesy of Larry Valentine.

Visit Syssphinx molina male and female, Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 1000m, January 4, 2010, courtesy of Jason Weigner.

Visit Syssphinx molina female and all instars courtesy of Bart Coppens and Juan Carlos Garcia Morales.

Visit Syssphinx molina female, Tala, Jalisco, Mexico, June 13, 2017, Diego Camarena Orozco.

Visit Syssphinx molina male, female, eggs and first instar; Paraguay, Ulf Drechsel.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Eggs are slightly flattened, translucent, light grey spheres, girded by a thin dark brown to black band. As larvae develop, they can be seen rthrough the egg shells. First instar larvae are well-equipped with thoracic "horns" after emerging from translucent green eggs. These enlarged scoli will diminish in size relative to body as the caterpillar passes through five instars.

Larvae have the dorsal scoli and resting pose typical of Ceratocampinae. This larva will shortly descend the tree to excavate a deep subterranean chamber in which to pupate. There is also a green form.

Syssphinx molina courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel.

Syssphinx molina larva, Lita (Esmeraldas), Ecuador, courtesy/copyright Horst Kach.

Because of their preference for deep pupation, Syssphinx molina larvae should be placed in buckets with six inches of light, slightly moist potting soil. The larvae will dig, frequently to the bottom of the bucket, looking for a suitable pupation site.

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 Albizia adinocephala Albizia lebbeck Albizia saman Cassia grandis Cassia javanica Diospyros kaki Ficus microcarpa Gleditsia triacanthos Inga sessilis Mimosa Pithecellobium saman Robinia pseudoacacia...... Salix capraea Schinus polygamus Senna occidentalis Senna uniflora

Bailey's acacia Silk tree Frywood Monkeypod Pink Shower/Liquorice/Horse Cassia Pink Shower Tree Japanese persimmon/Kaki persimmon Indian Laurel Fig Honeylocust Inga sessilis Mimosa Rain tree Black locust Sallow/Goat willow Peruvian peppertree Coffee senna/Coffeeweed Oneleaf senna

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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 source or meaning of the species name "molina".