Brazilian Skipper
Calpodes ethlius (Stoll, 1782)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Robust. Forewing is long and pointed, hindwing is lobed. Upperside is brown-black with large translucent spots on both forewing and hindwing. Underside is red-brown; hindwing has 3 or 4 cream spots.
Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 2 3/8 inches (4.5 - 6.1 cm).
Life History: Adults have a very fast flight and are strong migrants. Females lay eggs on the upperside of leaves high up on the host plant. Caterpillars usually spend the day in shelters of rolled leaves and emerge after dark to eat leaves.
Flight: Late summer in the north; several broods from April-December in South Texas; two broods from July-November in Arizona; throughout the year in Florida and the tropics.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various cultivated plants in the canna family (Marantaceae).
Adult Food: Lantana in Arizona. In Costa Rica, nectar from large white or pale yellow flowers of woody lianas, trees, and shrubs.
Habitat: Gardens and residential areas.
Range: South Florida and South Texas south through the West Indies, Mexico, and Central America to Argentina. Periodically strays and colonizes north to southern Nevada, north Texas, Illinois, and Massachusetts.
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: None reported.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 386 verified sightings
Observation date: May 17, 2018
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Feb 10, 2020
Observation date: Aug 28, 2019
Submitted by: scvirginia
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 24, 2019
Observation date: Sep 14, 2019
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Calhoun County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 23, 2019
Observation date: Sep 13, 2019
Submitted by: IronShikra
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 13, 2019
Observation date: Aug 25, 2019
Submitted by: Mike_56
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 31, 2019
Observation date: Aug 09, 2019
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 10, 2019
Observation date: Jul 28, 2019
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 08, 2019
Observation date: Jun 11, 2019
Submitted by: Brendavent
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 12, 2019
Observation date: Jul 04, 2018
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 31, 2019
Observation date: Sep 21, 2018
Submitted by: Ryan84
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Apr 13, 2019
Observation date: Sep 04, 2017
Submitted by: Wolf Photography
Region: Texas, United States, Victoria County
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Dec 28, 2018
Observation date: Sep 05, 2018
Submitted by: Niayre
Region: DeKalb County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Dec 09, 2018
Observation date: Aug 03, 2018
Submitted by: John Boggan
Region: Sussex County, Delaware, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 04, 2018
Observation date: Sep 20, 2018
Submitted by: sharonforsyth
Region: District of Columbia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 04, 2018
Observation date: Aug 16, 2018
Submitted by: Nickp
Region: Orange County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 04, 2018
Observation date: Aug 24, 2018
Submitted by: Cmiranda
Region: Fairfax County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 04, 2018
Observation date: Oct 08, 2018
Submitted by: HSVGardenGirl
Region: Saline County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 16, 2018
Observation date: Oct 12, 2016
Submitted by: marley
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 16, 2018
Observation date: Aug 20, 2018
Submitted by: vldeloach
Region: Cherokee County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Nov 01, 2018
Observation date: Sep 28, 2018
Submitted by: Paul Bloch
Region: Fulton County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 22, 2018
Observation date: May 13, 2018
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 22, 2018
Observation date: Sep 18, 2018
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Wakulla County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 13, 2018
Observation date: Aug 09, 2018
Submitted by: MF
Region: Seminole County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 11, 2018
Observation date: Aug 30, 2018
Submitted by: Beth Polvino
Region: Cape May County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 08, 2018
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