Sphingicampa bicolor or
Syssphinx bicolor
SIS-sfinkzMbye-KUL-ur
(Harris, 1841) Dryocampa bicolor

Syssphinx bicolor = Sphingicampa bicolor, courtesy of Leroy Simon.

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: Sphingicampa bicolor or Syssphinx bicolor (wingspan: males: 44-55mm; females: 54-67mm) is North America's most widely distributed Sphingicampa ranging on the East Coast from New Jersey to Georgia westward to eastern Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Populations are also found in Mexico: Neuvo Leon (CL) and possibly Coahuila (WO) and possibly Tamaulipas (WO), and in extreme southern Ontario, Canada, along the northern shore of Lake Erie. The common name is the Bicolored Honey Locust Moth. Syssphinx bicolor male (Mexico) courtesy of Dr. Manuel A. Balcazar Lara

Sphingicampa bicolor pair, Dotsonville, Montgomery County, Tennessee,
April 30, 2013, courtesy of Tom Payne.

Sphingicampa bicolor summer form pair, Woodlawn, Montgomery County, Tennessee,
second brood, June, 2013, courtesy of Tom Payne.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Syssphinx bicolor moths are on the wing from April with second and third broods following throughout the summer. Larval development is very irregular resulting in moths being taken throughout the summer into September (October in Cameron County, Texas). Honey locust and Kentucky coffee tree are popular host plants.

Moths often emerge within three weeks of pupation.

Sphingicampa bicolor male, St.Martin's Parish, Louisiana,
July 2, 2005, courtesy of Robert Nuelle.

Syssphinx bicolor female, Ohio,
copyright protected, courtesy of Leroy Simon.

Sphingicampa bicolor male, Tennessee,
courtesy of Thomas Payne.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

The species mates readily in captivity, even in small cages.

Syssphinx bicolor male, East of Spring, Montgomery County, Texas,
May 20 1974, courtesy/copyright Charles Bordelon and Ed Knudson.

Syssphinx bicolor female, Sabal Palm Grove, Cameron County, Texas,
September 27, 1983, courtesy/copyright Charles Bordelon and Ed Knudson.

Sphingicampa bicolor female, Willshire, Van Wert County, Ohio,
August 15, 2012, courtesy of Greg Roehm.

Colouration, markings, spotting can be very variable, by season and by location and even within local populations.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Bicolored Honey Locust Moth females deposit light green eggs either singly or in pairs on hostplant foliage. Warm weather results in a very short incubation time of five days. Some larvae mature (55 mm) in under three weeks while others from the same batch progress much less rapidly. Image courtesy of Leroy Simon displays the enlarged thoracic scoli typical of Syssphinx. Silver, metallic markings reflect light at night.

Larvae seem relatively disease free and this is an easy species to rear in captivity.

Pupation is in shallow chambers under the soil with eclosions following in as little as two weeks.

Visit Syssphinx bicolor instars 2-5, courtesy of Leroy Simon.

Sphingicampa bicolor fifth instar, Tennessee,
courtesy of Thomas Payne.

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.

Gleditsia triacanthos.... Gymnocladus candensis Gymnocladus dioica Hymenaea altissima Hymenaea courbaril Ligustrum japonicum Quercus Robinia pseudoacacia

Honeylocust Coffee tree Kentucky coffee tree Locust Jatoba Privet Oak Black locust/false 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 "bicolor" is probably for the two colours on the forewing, or possibly for the distinctly coloured hindwing.

Syssphinx bicolor fourth instar, Tennessee, courtesy of "beetlehorn".