Attributes of Urbanus proteus

Long-tailed Skipper
Urbanus proteus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Tails are long. Upperside is dark blackish brown; body and wing bases are iridescent blue-green. Males have a costal fold enclosing scent scales on the leading edge of the forewing. Dark row on underside of hindwing is a complete band.
Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 2 5/16 inches (4.5 - 6 cm).
Life History: Adults roost upside down under leaves and limbs. To seek females, males perch 3-6 feet above the ground in sunlit openings. Females lay eggs under leaves in clusters of up to 20. Caterpillars feed on leaves and live in shelters of rolled leaves.
Flight: Two to three broods throughout the year in south Florida and South Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: Vine legumes including various beans (Phaseolus), hog peanuts (Amphicarpa bracteata), beggar's ticks (Desmodium), blue peas (Clitoria), and wisteria (Wisteria).
Adult Food: Flower nectar from a variety of plants including bougainvillea, lantana, and shepherd's needle.
Habitat: Brushy fields, edges of woods, gardens, and other disturbed open habitats.
Range: Argentina north through Central America, the West Indies, and Mexico to peninsular Florida and South Texas. Occasionally strays and colonizes north to Connecticut, southern Illinois, eastern Kansas, southern Arizona, and southern California.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Urbanus proteus caterpillars are sometimes pests on snap beans.
Taxonomy Notes:

Images of Urbanus proteus

Click on an image to view full size and to see additional details.



Urbanus proteus - Longtailskippercrop.jpg

Urbanus proteus - Longtailskippercrop.jpg

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.

Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.

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

Observation Date Submitter Region Verified Datesort icon
September 13, 2012 KristyBaker Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States May 11, 2013 Details
January 25, 2013 dendroica5 The Bahamas April 17, 2013 Details
October 19, 2012 jjflossem Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States February 13, 2013 Details
January 22, 2013 suedavies28 Orange County, Florida, United States February 11, 2013 Details
January 26, 2013 Urbanusproteus Indian River County, Florida, United States February 11, 2013 Details
January 26, 2013 Nancee Cobb Jackson County, Florida, United States February 11, 2013 Details
July 22, 2012 K Stilwell Tazewell County, Virginia, United States February 04, 2013 Details
January 01, 2013 rseidler Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States January 21, 2013 Details
October 06, 2012 richardhsmith (Kim and Matt Hafner) Harford County, Maryland, United States January 08, 2013 Details
October 03, 2012 richardhsmith (David Amadio) Sussex County, Delaware, United States January 08, 2013 Details
October 02, 2012 Chip Krilowicz Cape May County, New Jersey, United States January 04, 2013 Details
October 18, 2012 Matt ODonnell Prince William County, Virginia, United States January 04, 2013 Details
September 21, 2012 betjas Henry County, Tennessee, United States December 30, 2012 Details
November 18, 2012 goldilocks0613 Texas, Montgomery County, United States December 27, 2012 Details
December 15, 2012 sassym0mma09 Texas, Orange County, United States December 27, 2012 Details
August 31, 2010 JeanEvoy De Soto County, Florida, United States December 14, 2012 Details
November 22, 2012 Terry W. Johnson Monroe County, Georgia, United States December 04, 2012 Details
October 15, 2012 crprice Ripley County, Missouri, United States December 01, 2012 Details
September 19, 1981 legacy.reporter (Jim Brock) Cochise County, Arizona, United States December 01, 2012 Details
April 11, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Mobile County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
June 09, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Bibb County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
July 04, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Cleburne County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
July 29, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Jefferson County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
October 23, 2011 legacy.reporter (Patsy Harris Russo) Baldwin County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
August 12, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Mobile County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
August 20, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Baldwin County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
August 25, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Cleburne County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
August 26, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Perry County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
September 01, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Jefferson County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
September 14, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
September 15, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Bibb County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
September 22, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) DeKalb County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
September 29, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Jefferson County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
October 04, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Jefferson County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
October 13, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Mobile County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
October 14, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Baldwin County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
October 21, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
November 03, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Colbert County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
October 05, 2005 John Saba (John Saba) Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States December 01, 2012 Details
September 23, 2012 Bob Ford Haywood County, Tennessee, United States November 18, 2012 Details
October 24, 2012 BellaFarfalla Maury County, Tennessee, United States November 18, 2012 Details
September 14, 2012 Jeff Trahan Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States November 14, 2012 Details
September 23, 2012 Jeff Trahan De Soto Parish, Louisiana, United States November 14, 2012 Details
October 08, 2012 rseidler Red River Parish, Louisiana, United States November 14, 2012 Details
October 03, 2012 Jeff Trahan Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States November 13, 2012 Details
November 07, 2012 Jeff Trahan Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States November 13, 2012 Details
October 07, 2012 Harry Forbes Jackson County, Texas, United States November 12, 2012 Details
October 05, 2012 Harry Forbes Brazoria County, Texas, United States November 12, 2012 Details
October 13, 2012 Mike Dillon Texas, Shelby County, United States November 12, 2012 Details
November 10, 2012 Kimberly Mrozinski Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States November 10, 2012 Details