''Syssphinx bicolor'', the honey locust moth, is a North American

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

in the family

Saturniidae Saturniidae, members of which are commonly named the saturniids, is a family of Lepidoptera with an estimated 2,300 described species. The family contains some of the largest species of moths in the world. Notable members include the emperor m ...

Description

The

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

s vary from a grayish color to yellow to orange to dark reddish brown, with a variable amount of black spotting and pinkish shading. The forewing postmedial line runs to the costa before the

apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics) A-Bomb Abomination Absorbing Man Abraxas Abyss Abyss is the name of two characters appearing in Ameri ...

. On the forewing, the white reniform spot may be double, single, or may be lacking. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

measures .

Similar species

The only similar species in the honey locust moth's range is the bisected honey locust moth ('' Sphingicampa bisecta''). The bisected honey locust moth is usually a little bit larger, has a straighter, more conspicuous postmedial line that runs to the costa at the apex, and lacks a white reniform spot.

Habitat

The honey locust moth is mainly found in woodlands.

Flight

This moth is on the wing from April to September.

Life cycle

File:Honey_Locust_Moth_egg,_Megan_McCarty135.jpg, Egg File:Honey Locust Moth larva, Megan McCarty136.jpg, 2nd

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'' 'form, likeness') is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, which occurs between each moult (''ecdysis'') until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to ...

larva File:Honey Locust Moth larva, Megan McCarty138.jpg, Last instar larva File:Honey Locust Moth chrysalis, Megan McCarty139.jpg, Chrysalis The

eggs An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop. Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to: Biology * Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms Food * Eggs as food Places * Egg, Austria * Egg, Switzerland ...

are pale green and are laid in clusters on the host plant leaves. The young gregarious

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e are pale green with four pairs of black thoracic filaments and a black horn on the end of the abdomen. They also have a lateral stripe which is mainly white. The older solitary larvae are grass green with two pairs of red horns on the thorax and one on the end of the abdomen. There are a number of silvered horns across the abdomen. The supraspiracular stripe is red and white. The body is dotted with white spots. The very similar-looking Bisected honey locust moth larva has green horns and lacks the red in the supraspiracular stripe. The dark

chrysalis A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages the ...

is made in a cell under ground. It hibernates as a chrysalis. The honey locust moth has three

broods Broods are a musical duo from Nelson, New Zealand, composed of Georgia Josiena Nott on lead vocals, with older brother and multi-instrumentalist Caleb Allan Joseph Nott on production and backing vocals. They released the single "Bridges (Broo ...

per year, the first adults being grayish, the second yellow to orange brown, and the third being darker with more spotting.

Host plants

Here is a list of host plants used by the honey locust moth: *Honey locust, ''

Gleditsia triacanthos The honey locust (''Gleditsia triacanthos''), also known as the thorny locust or thorny honeylocust, is a deciduous tree in the family Fabaceae, native to central North America where it is mostly found in the moist soil of river valleys. Honey ...

'' *Kentucky coffee tree, ''

Gymnocladus dioicus The Kentucky coffeetree (''Gymnocladus dioicus''), also known as American coffee berry, Kentucky mahogany, nicker tree, and stump tree, is a tree in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the legume family Fabaceae, native to the Midwestern United Sta ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2121521 Moths described in 1841 Moths of North America Ceratocampinae