Red-studded Skipper (Noctuana stator [Godman])
Wing span: 1 - 1 1/3 inches (2.5 - 3.3 cm).
Identification: Forewings pointed. Upper surface blackish brown mottled with black. Dark bar across forewing tip, blackish smudge in middle of hindwing.
Life history: Not reported.
Flight: Several flights all year in Mexico.
Caterpillar hosts: Not reported.
Adult food: Flower nectar or bird droppings.
Habitat: Shady tropical woods.
Range: Mexico south to Central America. Rare stray to southern Texas.
Comment: Photographed at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in Hidalgo Co., Texas in late 1999. Species information not readily available.
Conservation: Not necessary for a rare stray.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: Not yet ranked. Probably G5.
Management needs: None reported.
References:
Godman, F.D. 1899-1901. Biologioa Centrali-Americana. Insecta. London, Dulau.
Author: Paul A. Opler
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.