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Baracoa Skipper (Polites baracoa [Lucas])
Wing span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm).
Identification: Upperside is dark brown; forewing with orange bars; male forewing with a very short stigma. Underside is brown; forewing markings repeated; hindwing with a row of pale spots.
Life history: Not reported.
Flight: Several broods from March-November.
Caterpillar hosts: Grasses.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Grassy places near marshes and streams.
Range: Peninsular Florida, neighboring areas of south Georgia and southern Alabama, and the West Indies.
Conservation: Not usually required.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management needs: None reported.
References:
Opler, P. A. and G. O. Krizek. 1984. Butterflies east of the Great Plains. Johns
Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 294 pages, 54 color plates.
Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson
field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates.
Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press,
Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Gerberg, E.J. and Arnett, R.H., Jr. Florida Butterflies. Natural Science
Publications, Inc. Baltimore, MD. 90 pp.
Kimball, C.P. 1965. Arthropods of Florida and Neighboring Land Areas - Vol. 1:
Lepidoptera of Florida. Div. of Plant Industry, State of Florida Dept.
of Agriculture. Gainesville, FL. 363 pp.
Minno, M.C. and Emmel, T.C. 1993. Butterflies of the Florida Keys. Scientific
Publishers. Gainesville, FL. 168 pp.
Opler, P.A. 1998. A field guide to eastern butterflies, revised format.
Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.
Smith, D.S., Miller, L.D. and Miller, J.Y. 1994. The Butterflies of the West
Indies and South Florida. Oxford Univ. Press. Oxford, U.K. 264 pp.
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