Thorybes mexicana
Encyclopedia
The Mexican Cloudywing, Mountain Cloudy Wing or Nevada Cloudy Wing (Thorybes mexicana) is a butterfly
of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in the high elevation mountains of the western United States
south into Mexico
.
Subspecies confusis is often treated as a separate species, known as the Confused Cloudywing or Eastern Cloudywing (Thorybes confusis). This subspecies is found from south-eastern Pennsylvania
west to Missouri
, south along the Atlantic Coastal plain to central Florida
, the Gulf Coast and Texas
. Strays can be found up to south-eastern Kansas
, southern Illinois
and New Jersey
.
The wingspan
is 29–35 mm (1.1–1.4 ). Adults are on wing from June to August. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Trifolium, Vicia
and Lathyrus
species. Adults feed on flower nectar.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in the high elevation mountains of the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
south into Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Subspecies confusis is often treated as a separate species, known as the Confused Cloudywing or Eastern Cloudywing (Thorybes confusis). This subspecies is found from south-eastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
west to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, south along the Atlantic Coastal plain to central Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the Gulf Coast and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Strays can be found up to south-eastern Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, southern Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 29–35 mm (1.1–1.4 ). Adults are on wing from June to August. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Trifolium, Vicia
Vicia
Vicia is a genus of about 140 species of flowering plants commonly known as vetches. It is in the legume family . Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other genera of their subfamily Faboideae also have names containing "vetch", for example the...
and Lathyrus
Lathyrus
Lathyrus is a genus of flowering plant species known as sweet peas and vetchlings. Lathyrus is in the legume family Fabaceae and contains approximately 160 species. They are native to temperate areas, with a breakdown of 52 species in Europe, 30 species in North America, 78 in Asia, 24 in...
species. Adults feed on flower nectar.
Subspecies
- Thorybes mexicana mexicana (Mexico)
- Thorybes mexicana nevada (California, Oregon)
- Thorybes mexicana confusis (Florida) - Confused Cloudywing or Eastern Cloudywing
- Thorybes mexicana dobra (Mexico, Arizona)
- Thorybes mexicana ducia (Panama)