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Double-dotted Skipper (Decinea percosius [Godman])
Wing span: 7/8 - 1 3/8 inches (2.2 - 3.5 cm).
Identification: Wings are dark brown. Upperside of forewing has an angled transparent spot in the cell; hindwing has one small transparent spot in the middle of the wing. Underside of the hindwing is yellow-brown.
Life history: Caterpillars feed on leaves at night, and rest in leaf shelters during the day.
Flight: March-November in South Texas and Mexico.
Caterpillar hosts: Various grasses.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Tropical forests and scrub, resacas, and flower gardens.
Range: Belize north to Mexico. Occasional colonist to the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas.
Conservation: Populations in the lower Rio Grande Valley near Brownsville, Texas should be monitored and conserved.
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: Determine habitat needs and manage as necessary. Acquire or restore additional habitat.
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.
Stanford, R. E. and P. A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of western USA butterflies including
adjacent parts of Canada and Mexico. Denver and Fort Collins, CO.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Neck, R.W. 1996. A Field Guide to Butterflies of Texas. Gulf Publishing Co.,
Houston, Texas.
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.
Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies.
Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.
Tveten, J. and Tveten, G. 1996. Butterflies of Houston & Southeast Texas.
Univ. of Texas Press, Austin, TX. 292 pp.
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