Ruddy Daggerwing
Marpesia petreus (Cramer, 1776)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Cyrestinae
Tribe: Cyrestini
Identification: Tip of forewing is elongated. Hindwing has long dagger-like tails. Upperside is orange with 3 thin black lines. Underside is mottled brown and black, resembling a dead leaf.
Wing Span: 2 3/4 - 3 3/4 inches (7 - 9.5 cm).
Life History: To watch for females, males perch 15-30 feet above ground on sunlit trees.
Flight: Most of the year in Florida, but are most common from May-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Common fig (Ficus carica) and wild banyan tree (F. citrifolia) in the fig family (Moraceae).
Adult Food: Nectar from giant milkweed in Florida; Cordia, Casearia, Lantana, and Mikania in the tropics.
Habitat: Tropical lowland forests and edges; hardwood hammocks.
Range: Brazil north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to southern Florida. Strays north to Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, and South Texas.
Conservation: Not of conservation concern in Florida.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 25 - 48 of 182 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 27, 2021
Submitted by: Lisbeth K
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 07, 2021
Observation date: Sep 15, 2021
Submitted by: Kabbott
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 29, 2021
Observation date: Jul 12, 2020
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 26, 2021
Observation date: Aug 13, 2021
Submitted by: campbell8300
Region: Texas, Randall County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 14, 2021
Observation date: Sep 23, 2019
Submitted by: Markus M
Region: Jalisco, Mexico
Verified by: Doug Taron
Verified date: Jul 21, 2021
Observation date: Jun 04, 2021
Submitted by: rgerbino
Region: Martin County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 05, 2021
Observation date: Apr 24, 2021
Submitted by: Don Stillwaugh
Region: Polk County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 28, 2021
Observation date: Oct 05, 2013
Submitted by: DVL
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 17, 2021
Observation date: Mar 17, 2021
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 21, 2021
Observation date: Sep 14, 2020
Submitted by: Alyssa Jordan
Region: Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 17, 2021
Observation date: Dec 27, 2020
Submitted by: amdurso
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 27, 2020
Observation date: Aug 25, 2020
Submitted by: Mike_56
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 06, 2020
Observation date: Jun 20, 2020
Submitted by: eroutside
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 20, 2020
Observation date: May 22, 2020
Submitted by: CharlieDelray
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 23, 2020
Observation date: May 14, 2020
Submitted by: KDiederich697
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 16, 2020
Observation date: Apr 09, 2020
Submitted by: therapypetz
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 11, 2020
Observation date: Feb 17, 2020
Submitted by: Argyle
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Feb 18, 2020
Observation date: Nov 11, 2019
Submitted by: Craig M Lipski
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 13, 2019
Observation date: Sep 21, 2019
Submitted by: Kmoore
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 22, 2019
Observation date: May 13, 2018
Submitted by: MaynorOvando
Region: Suchitepéquez, Guatemala
Verified by: Doug Taron
Verified date: Sep 18, 2019
Observation date: Aug 29, 2019
Submitted by: Wwetmore
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 30, 2019
Observation date: Aug 23, 2019
Submitted by: janetfb
Region: Bandera County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 25, 2019
Observation date: Apr 08, 2019
Submitted by: kellydfl
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 19, 2019
Observation date: Mar 16, 2019
Submitted by: twcrowe
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 21, 2019
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