Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Green-backed Ruby-eye
Perichares philetes (Gmelin, [1790])


Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Top surface of the thorax is iridescent green. Wings are dark brown; fringes are checkered black and white. Upperside of forewing has transparent pale yellow spots; male with a curved gray stigma. Underside of hindwing is mottled dark brown, purple, and gray.
Wing Span: 1 1/2 - 1 11/16 inches (3.9 - 4.3 cm).
Life History: Females lay eggs on both sides of grass leaves; caterpillars eat leaves.
Flight: November-December in South Texas; many broods from December-January in Mexico.
Caterpillar Hosts: Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), bamboo, and other grasses.
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Flower gardens in Texas; fields and forest edges in the tropics.
Range: Paraguay north through Central America and the West Indies to northern Mexico. A periodic stray to the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas.
Conservation: Not required for a periodic 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.
Comments: NULL
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