Phryxus caicus, Paraguay, PYBIO.

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TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 Subfamily: Macroglossinae, Harris, 1839 Tribe: Dilophonotini, Burmeister, 1878 Genus: Phryxus Hubner, 1819 ........... Species: caicus Cramer, 1777

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DISTRIBUTION:

The Caicus sphinx, Phryxus caicus (wingspan: 2 3/4 - 3 1/4 inches (7 - 8.3 cm)), flies from southern Brazil; Paraguay: Boqueron, Presidente Hayes, San Pedro, Canindeyu, Alto Parana, Central, Cordillera, Paraguari, Guaira, and probably Caaguazu; and northeastern Argentina: Misiones; through Central America and north to Arizona and southern Florida. Surinam is the specimen type locality. It is also recorded in Venezuela.

The abdomen of the Caicus sphinx has distinct black and tan bands. The upperside of the forewing is brown with a tan band along the inner margin and a thin tan streak in the middle of the wing. The upperside of the hindwing is red-orange with short black bands along the veins at the outer margin. Phryxus caicus (above-right) , December 23, 2005, Misiones Province, near Puerto Iguazu, near light at night, courtesy of Oz Rittner.

FLIGHT TIMES:

There are at least two flights in Florida, from January-March and July-September. In Costa Rica moths have been taken in April, June-July and September through January. In northeastern Argentina there is at least one flight in December.

ECLOSION:

Moths eclose from pupae in fine silk cocoons spun up amongst leaf litter.

Phryxus caicus male courtesy of Dan Janzen.

Phryxus caicus female courtesy of Dan Janzen.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Females call in the males with a pheromone released from a gland at the tip of the abdomen. Adults nectar at flowers, including Asystasia gangetica at dusk.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Larvae feed on Mesechites trifida and probably on other members of the Apocynaceae (Dogbane family: Echites). In Florida larvae have been reported on mangrove rubber vine (Rhabdadenia biflora). Carica papaya serves as a larval host in Brazil.

Moths emerge in as few as fourteen days after pupation from a cocoon of very fine silk spun among leaf litter.

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