Curve-winged Metalmark (Emesis emesia [Hewitson])
Wing span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm).
Identification: Upperside brown with faint markings. Leading edge of forewing curved and with a white dash.
Life history: Eggs are laid under new leaves of host plant; caterpillars eat leaves and rest under them.
Flight: July-January in Mexico, October-November in South Texas.
Caterpillar hosts: Cesalpinia mexicana in the pea family (Fabaceae).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Seasonally dry thorn forest and subtropical forests.
Range: Guatemala north through Mexico; a rare stray to the lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
Conservation: Not required for periodic 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