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
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.