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Fritzgaertner's Flat (Celaenorrhinus fritzgaertneri [Bailey])
Wing span: 1 5/8 - 1 15/16 inches (4.2 - 5 cm).
Identification: Upperside is brown; forewing has a white band. Underside of hindwing is mottled. Fringes are checkered.
Life history: Adults fly at dusk and sometimes at dawn. They rest in caves, under highway bridges, and under ledges and leaves during the day.
Flight: February-September in South Texas; through October in Mexico.
Caterpillar hosts: Not reported.
Adult food: Flower nectar including that of papaya.
Habitat: Subtropical.
Range: Costa Rica north through Mexico. A periodic stray to South Texas and rarely to southern Arizona.
Conservation: Not necessary for a rare stray.
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 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:
Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised
edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.
Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies.
Privately published, Denver, Colo.
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