Species Marpesia petreus - Ruddy Daggerwing

Classification · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Internet References

Ruddy Daggerwing caterpillar - Marpesia petreus

Ruddy Daggerwing life cycle - Marpesia petreus - male

Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Superfamily Papilionoidea (Butterflies (excluding skippers))

Family Nymphalidae (Brushfooted Butterflies)

Subfamily Cyrestinae (Daggerwings, Map Butterflies)

Genus Marpesia (Daggerwings)

Species petreus (Ruddy Daggerwing)

Size

Wingspan 7-9.5 cm.

Identification

Distinctive two-tone leaf-mimic underneath, orange with darker bars above. Spectactular "tails" on hindwings.

Range

Neotropics, West Indies, south Florida, stray into southern Texas, elsewhere in southern US.

Habitat

Tropical lowland forests, in Florida, "hardwood hammocks".

Season

Much of year in south Florida, most common May-July.

Food

Adults take nectar from a variety of plants, such as Asclepias and Mikania.

Life Cycle

Larvae feed on fig, Ficus species. In Florida this is likely to be Strangler Fig, Ficus aurea. (See Univ. of Florida page on this species.)

Remarks

A spectacular species.

Internet References

Nearctica.com (Butterflies and Skippers of North America)

Butterflies of North America

Dallas Butterflies

Contributed by Cotinis on 21 April, 2004 - 12:25am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2010 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version