Evans' Skipper (Panoquina fusina evansi [H. A. Freeman])
Wing span: 1 5/8 - 1 3/4 inches (4.2 - 4.5 cm).
Identification: Wings are dark brown. Forewing upperside has large translucent amber spots. Underside of hindwing has a blue-violet sheen; an irregular white band is visible in males and obscure in females.
Life history: Not reported.
Flight: Several broods; from October-November in South Texas, May-November in Mexico.
Caterpillar hosts: Perhaps sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Subtropical thorn forest.
Range: Paraguay north through mainland tropical America to central Mexico and Jamaica. A periodic stray to the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas.
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 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.