Urbanus dorantes
Size:
Wingspan is 1 7/16 - 2 inches.
Similar Species:
Long-tailed
Skipper
Habitat:
Overgrown fields, gardens, woodland borders, brushy fields, roadsides
and trails.
Range/Abundance:
Very rare migrant with a
handful of records in NC and SC and one dubious record in VA, not recorded
in WV.
Flight Period:
A migrant to our region would be expected from late summer until late
fall.
Larval Host Plants:
Legumes including wild and cultivated beans Phaseolus, beggar's
ticks Desmodium, and blue peas Clitoria.
Comments:
I was lucky enough see one of these rare migrants in 1999 in Durham, NC.
Harry Le Grand saw one in Raleigh, NC the same year.
In recent years there have been no reports of this species in the region. The Dorantes Longtail is very common in southern Florida and supposedly arrived there in the late 1960s.
The top photo was taken in Durham Co., NC date unknown. The second and third photos were taken in Hidalgo Co., TX on December 08 2004.
