Guava Skipper Phocides polybius (Fabricius, 1793) | Butterflies and Moths of North America

Family: Hesperiidae

Subfamily: Eudaminae

Identification: Fringes are white. Upperside is black with green rays leading from the wing bases. Underside is black with a red bar at the costal edge.

Wing Span: 1 5/8 - 2 1/2 inches (4.2 - 6.3 cm).

Life History: Females lay eggs singly on the upperside of terminal leaves of the host plant. Caterpillars spend the day in leaf shelters and eat leaves during the night.

Flight: Many broods in February, April, and June-December in South Texas.

Caterpillar Hosts: Guava (Psidium species).

Adult Food: Presumably flower nectar.

Habitat: Subtropical woods, city gardens.

Range: The lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas south through Mexico and Central America to Argentina.

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

Alternate Scientific Names:

Phocides palemon

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