Urbanus dorantes
Encyclopedia
The Lilac-banded Longtail or Dorantes Longtail (Urbanus dorantes) is a butterfly
of the Hesperiidae family. It is found from Argentina
, north through Central America
, Mexico
, and the West Indies to southern Texas
and peninsular Florida
. Strays can be found as far north as northern California
, southern Arizona
, southern Missouri
and southern Georgia
.
The wingspan
is 37-51 mm. There are three to four generations throughout the year in southern Florida and southern Texas.
The larvae feed on various legumes, including wild and cultivated Phaseolus
species, Desmodium
and blue peas Clitoria
. Adults feed on flower nectar from various plants, including shepherd's needle, lantana, trilisa
, ironweed
, and bougainvillea
.
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 from Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, north through Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, 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...
, and the West Indies to southern 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...
and peninsular 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...
. Strays can be found as far north as northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, southern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, southern 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...
and southern Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
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 37-51 mm. There are three to four generations throughout the year in southern Florida and southern Texas.
The larvae feed on various legumes, including wild and cultivated Phaseolus
Phaseolus
Phaseolus is a genus in the family Fabaceae of about fifty plant species, all native to the Americas.At least four of the species have been domesticated since pre-Columbian times for their beans. Most prominent among these is the common bean, P...
species, Desmodium
Desmodium
Desmodium is a genus in the flowering plant family Fabaceae, sometimes called tick-trefoil, tick clover or beggar lice. There are dozens of species and the delimitation of the genus has shifted much over time....
and blue peas Clitoria
Clitoria
Clitoria is a genus of flowering plants that are insect pollinated.-Distribution and uses:These plants are native to tropical and temperate areas of the Old World....
. Adults feed on flower nectar from various plants, including shepherd's needle, lantana, trilisa
Trilisa
Trilisa is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family. Some taxonomists group Trilisa together with Litrisa into a single genus Carphephorus....
, ironweed
Ironweed
Ironweed is a 1983 novel by William Kennedy. It received the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and is the third book in Kennedy's Albany Cycle...
, and bougainvillea
Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil west to Peru and south to southern Argentina . Different authors accept between four and 18 species in the genus...
.
Subspecies
- Urbanus dorantes dorantes (Texas, Mexico, Surinam, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela)
- Urbanus dorantes santiago (Brazil, Jamaica, Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba, Grenada)
- Urbanus dorantes obscurus (Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Saba, Antigua, Grenada, Barbados)
- Urbanus dorantes galapagensis (Galapagos)
- Urbanus dorantes calafia (Mexico (Baja California))
- Urbanus dorantes cramptoni (Antilles, Puerto Rico)