DISTRIBUTION:

Syssphinx thiaucourti (wingspan: 47-60mm; females: 68-75mm) flies in southwestern Ecuador: Manabi and Guayas, in dry areas up to 1800m.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Syssphinx thiaucourti moths are on the wing in February. Horst Kach indicates larvae did well on Acacia for the first two instars, but he lost them after that.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Syssphinx thiaucourti moths tend to 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 thiaucourti 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.

Syssphinx thiaucourti first instars, Chone, Manabi, Ecuador,
September 1, 2007, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Syssphinx thiaucourti second instar, Chone, Manabi, Ecuador,
September 15, 2007, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Syssphinx thiaucourti second instar, Chone, Manabi, Ecuador,
courtesy of Horst Kach.

Syssphinx thiaucourti third instar, Manglares Churute, Guayas, Ecuador,
courtesy of Horst Kach.

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.

Acacia ........

Acacia

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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 "thiaucourti" is honourific for Thiaucourt.