National Moth Week is July 18-26!
Moths are amazing creatures. Take photographs and share your moth sightings with us to document the moths where you live.
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.
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 457 - 480 of 2030 verified sightings
Observation date: Jan 28, 2016
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 08, 2019
Observation date: Dec 24, 2018
Submitted by: dbrudin
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 07, 2019
Observation date: Jan 07, 2019
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 07, 2019
Observation date: Dec 30, 2018
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 01, 2019
Observation date: Dec 16, 2018
Submitted by: storolaf
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 17, 2018
Observation date: Oct 04, 2018
Submitted by: momsavang
Region: Harris County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Dec 12, 2018
Observation date: Sep 28, 2018
Submitted by: Paul Bloch
Region: Fulton County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Dec 07, 2018
Observation date: Oct 22, 2018
Submitted by: Indigosecho
Region: Georgia, White County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Dec 07, 2018
Observation date: Sep 19, 2018
Submitted by: plawryniuk
Region: Newport News, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 03, 2018
Observation date: Nov 23, 2018
Submitted by: katrohrer
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 28, 2018
Observation date: Nov 21, 2018
Submitted by: louvis11
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Sep 08, 2018
Submitted by: K9Miss
Region: Cherokee County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Nov 21, 2018
Observation date: Nov 19, 2018
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 20, 2018
Observation date: Nov 04, 2018
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 20, 2018
Observation date: Nov 08, 2018
Submitted by: Pambieck
Region: Texas, Montgomery County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 15, 2018
Observation date: Nov 02, 2018
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Cameron County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 15, 2018
Observation date: Nov 06, 2018
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 08, 2018
Observation date: Nov 03, 2018
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 03, 2018
Observation date: Oct 29, 2018
Submitted by: katrohrer
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 02, 2018
Observation date: Oct 31, 2018
Submitted by: katrohrer
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 02, 2018
Observation date: Nov 02, 2018
Submitted by: katrohrer
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 02, 2018
Observation date: Oct 27, 2018
Submitted by: katrohrer
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 01, 2018
Observation date: Aug 10, 2018
Submitted by: elopm
Region: Johnson County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Nov 01, 2018
Observation date: Oct 28, 2018
Submitted by: Bert Fontcuberta
Region: St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 28, 2018
- ‹ previous
- 20 of 85
- next ›