DISTRIBUTION:

Syssphinx quadrilineata occlusa (wingspan: males: 59-72mm; females: 83-90mm) flies in
western Colombia: Valle, Cundinamarca and Boyaca (CL) and Santander (ARA);
western Ecuador: Pichincha, Guayas, El Oro (BF) and probably Esmeraldas and Manabi;
and Venezuela.

The ground colour is orange and wings are broader than in the nominate species. White forewing discal spots may or may not be present. The forewing pm line is broadly pre-apical.

Syssphinx quadrilineata occlusa male,
The Smithsonian Insect Collection (USNM) courtesy of Ryan St. Laurent

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Syssphinx quadrilineata occlusa moths are on the wing in October.

Syssphinx quadrilineata occlusa female, Claude Lemaire

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Syssphinx quadrilineata occlusa moth females deposit light green eggs 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.

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 "quadrilineata" may refer to the four distinct lines, two on each forewing of this moth. The subspecies name "occlusa" means 'covered' in Latin.

Syssphinx quadrilineata occlusa male, Claude Lemaire