Attributes of Polythrix mexicanus

Mexican Longtail
Polythrix mexicanus H.A. Freeman, 1969
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Hindwings have long tails. Wings are brown; forewing with 2 submarginal spots near the rear of the wing. Underside of forewing has a dark brown spot near the base. Males have a costal fold enclosing scent scales on the leading edge of the forewing.
Wing Span: 1 3/8 - 1 5/8 inches (3.5 - 4.1 cm).
Life History: Adults perch upside down on the undersides of leaves. Caterpillars live in leaf shelters and feed on leaves.
Flight: Many broods from April-October in Mexico; June-July and October in South Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: Tree legumes Amerimnon and Ichtyomenthia.
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Shady subtropical forest.
Range: Peru north to Mexico. Strays north to the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas.
Conservation: Not necessary for rare stray.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:

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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.

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The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.

Observation Date Submitter Region Verified Datesort icon
October 04, 1977 legacy.reporter (Bruce Griffin) Pima County, Arizona, United States December 01, 2012 Details
October 11, 2006 legacy.reporter (Kilian Roever) Cochise County, Arizona, United States December 01, 2012 Details
October 11, 2006 legacy.reporter (Kilian Roever) Cochise County, Arizona, United States January 07, 2008 Details
October 15, 2006 legacy.reporter (Mike Overton, Paul Opler) Tamaulipas, Mexico October 01, 2007 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Pima County, Arizona, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Sonora, Mexico December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Sinaloa, Mexico December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Nuevo Leon, Mexico December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Tamaulipas, Mexico December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Hidalgo County, Texas, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Cameron County, Texas, United States December 31, 2004 Details