Attributes of Urbanus esmeraldus

Esmeralda Longtail
Urbanus esmeraldus (Butler, 1877)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Long tails. Upperside is dark blackish brown; body and wing bases are iridescent blue-green. Males have a costal fold enclosing scent scales on the forewing. Dark row on hindwing underside consists of separate spots.
Wing Span: 1 3/8 - 1 5/8 inches (3.5 - 4.2 cm).
Life History: Eggs are laid on young leaves of the host plant, which caterpillars eat.
Flight: Many flights from April-October in Mexico; August in South Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: Beggar\'s ticks (Desmodium).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Open subtropical woods and edges.
Range: Brazil and Paraguay north through the tropics to Mexico. A rare stray north to the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas.
Conservation: Not necessary for a 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 05, 2010 Doug Taron Veracruz-Llave, Mexico January 12, 2013 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