Fiery Skipper ? - Hylephila phyleus

Camera angle and lighting are helpful in ID

Image 3 and 4 show clearly ID characteristics.

Moved from Whirlabout.

… Cliff Ivy, 14 February, 2017 - 11:27am

Fiery skipper male

The additional images clearly show the forewing pattern of male Fiery with the dark pistol shaped patch separated from the stigma wherteas with Whirlabout the stigma and dark terminal patch are continuous. Also the new images show the typical spot pattern of the ventral hindwing of Fiery which was not obvious in original image submission.

… Cliff Ivy, 14 February, 2017 - 11:26am

Polites vibex praeceps - Whirlabout Skipper male

Fantastic quality image

Moved from ID Request.

… Cliff Ivy, 13 February, 2017 - 9:39pm

Wow, I've never heard of that

Wow, I've never heard of that one.

… dvoribird, 13 February, 2017 - 9:42pm

Hopefully I'm not all wet on this one.

Whirlabouts have very muted markings in southern regions and this one probably strayed from south TX / MX to your area of observation.
http://butterfliesofamerica.com/polites_vibex_praeceps.htm

… Cliff Ivy, 13 February, 2017 - 10:05pm

I added a couple more images

I added a couple more images if it helps. I thought it was a Fiery, but it seemed to be behaving differently from Fierys that I've chased. It was attracted to the flowering Rosemary.

… dvoribird, 13 February, 2017 - 10:16pm

Dorsal image?

Do you happen to have an image from above? I like to use the antenna length to distinguish Fiery Skippers, and it's harder for me to judge it from the side, although the more I look at this image, the more I think the antennae are short, like a Fiery.

… John Schneider, 13 February, 2017 - 10:35pm

I couldn't get dorsal as this

I couldn't get dorsal as this guy didn't keep still for more than a moment. I added two more that might show antenna length.

… dvoribird, 13 February, 2017 - 11:11pm

Thanks

There are also two spots near the apex of the hindwing underneath, which could suggest Fiery, but I'm hoping someone will weigh in with a definitive answer.

… John Schneider, 13 February, 2017 - 11:31pm