DISTRIBUTION:

Syssphinx smithi (wingspan: males: 55-65mm; females: 56-65mm) flies in the North Andean region of eastern Colombia: Boyaca, Huila, Magdalena (CL) and Antioquia, Valle de Cauca, Tolima (ARA) and probably Cordoba, Sucre, Bolivar, Santander, Norte de Santander, Cesar, Arauca and Cundinamarca (DB); and north central Venezuela: Carabobo, Aragua, Distrito Federal, Miranda, Guarico; in dry Andean forests at altitudes from 500 - 1200 m. It has also been seen in Panama: Cocle.

The body and forewings, which are densely spotted, are yellow-orange, and the hindwing basal and inner marginal areas are bright red.

Syssphinx smithi, pair, Colombia, courtesy of Franz Ziereis copyright.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Syssphinx smithi moths probably 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 smithi females deposit light green eggs either singly or in short rows 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.

Franz Ziereis has successfully reared this species in Germany on willow.

Syssphinx smithi, larva, Colombia, courtesy of Franz Ziereis copyright.

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.

Salix.......

Willow

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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 "smithi" is honourific for Smith.