Butterflies and Moths in the West Indies during Focus On Nature Tours

PO Box 9021, Wilmington, DE 19809, USA
E-mail: font@focusonnature.com
Phone: Toll-free in USA 1-800-721-9986
or 302/529-1876

BUTTERFLIES
& some MOTHS

in the West Indies
of the Caribbean

in Barbados,
the Cayman Islands,
Dominica
the Dominican Republic,
Jamaica,
Puerto Rico,
Saint Lucia
& St. Vincent

Butterflies in the Caribbean exclusively in Trinidad & Tobago are not in this list.

Focus On Nature Tours in the Caribbean have been in: January, February, March, April, May, July, & December.

The following list of Butterflies of the West Indies compiled by Armas Hill

Among the butterfly groupings in this list, links to:

Swallowtails: family Papilionidae Whites, Yellows, Sulphurs: family Pieridae

Blues, Hairstreaks: family Lycaenidae    Leaf Butterflies: subfamily Charaxinae

Buckeyes: genus Junonia    Lady Butterflies: genus Vanessa

Longwings: subfamily Heliconiinae    Satyrs: family Satyridae

Skippers: family Hesperiidae    Moths

Codes in the following list relating to illustrations in various books:

Numbers noted as (C:xx) refer to pages in "A World of Butterflies", with text by Brian Cassie, and photographs (superb) by Kjell Sandved

Numbers noted as (DV1:xx) refer to plates in "The Butterflies of Costa Rica and their Natural History (Volume 1): Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae", by Philip J. DeVries

Numbers noted as (F:xx) refer to pages in "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Butterflies", by Dr. John Feltwell

Numbers noted as (K:xx) refer to pages in the "Kaufman Focus Guide to Butterflies of North America", by Jim Brock & Kenn Kaufman

Numbers noted as (PE:xx) refer to plates in the "Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies", by Paul Opler & Vichai Malikul, 1998 edition. Those noted as (PEp:xx) refer to a page with a photograph.

Numbers noted as (PW:xx) refer to plates in the "Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies", by Paul Opler & illustrated by Amy Bartlett Wright, 1999 edition. Those noted as (PWp:xx) refer to a page with a photograph.

Numbers noted as (S:xx) refer to pages in the "Smithsonian Handbook, Butterflies & Moths", by David Carter

(ph): species with a photo in the FONT website

Island (or Country) Codes:

BD: Barbados
On this relatively small Caribbean island, largely cleared for sugar cane planting by the end of the 17th Century, there are 24 butterfly species.
BH: Bahamas
CU: Cuba
CY: the Cayman Islands
DM: Dominica
DR: the Dominican Repubic
On the Greater Antillean island of Hispaniola there are 151 known species of butterflies, of which 41 are endemic. Largely, this is the result of a luxuriant radiation of Calisto, a genus of Satyrids.
GD: Guadeloupe
JM: Jamaica
PR: Puerto Rico
SL: Saint Lucia
SV: Saint Vincent

BUTTERFLIES OBSERVED DURING FONT TOURS ARE NOTED BY AN (*) AFTER THE 2-LETTER CODE.

Worldwide, there are over 180,000 described species of butterflies & moths (in the order Lepidoptera).

In this list, of those in the West Indies of the Caribbean, over 200 species are included.
Some subspecies are noted.

Links:

Upcoming FONT Birding & Nature Tours in the Caibbean

Lists & Photo Galleries of Birds, including those during FONT Tours in the Caribbean

Lists & Photo Galleries of Mammals & Other Wildlife, relating to FONT Tours in the Caribbean

Lists of Photo Galleries of Amphibians & Reptiles, including those during FONT Tours in the Caribbean

Lists & Photo Galleries of Marine Life, including fish, corals, jellyfish, mollusks (shells), arthropods (crustaceans & echinoderms) in the Caribbean

Directory of Photos in this Website, in this list & others

The Gulf Fritillary in the Caribbean is called the Silver-spotted Flambeau.
(photo by Howard Eskin)

Zebra Helicons roost in groups.
(This & the photograph at the top of this file by Doug Johnson)

SOME COMMENTARY REGARDING BUTTERFLY IDENTIFICATION:

"Get a guidebook, take a few years, and you'll still make mistakes. Butterfly identification has an initial, deceptive simplicity.
Individuals in a species vary naturally, an eyespot slightly larger, a color brighter.
Males and females of a species can be strikingly dissimilar.
So can genetic morphs or forms within a gender.
In a single species, butterflies that live in a range of habitat can vary in appearance and produce different populations or geographical races, each better adapted to its environment.
Species can also produce generations of distinct morphs in the same place at different times of the year.

One Tiger Swallowtail is black. On the same flower, another Tiger Swallowtail is yellow.
Another species produces red butterflies in the wet season and blue in the dry. A species darkens in response to air pollution.
A species gains an eyespot. A species lose one."

The above commentary taken from the book, "An Obsession with Butterflies", by Sharman Apt Russell (a wonderful read).

List of Butterflies:

          Family PAPILIONIDAE: SWALLOWTAILS (and allies):
          There are totally about 700 known species of Swallowtails.

          Genus BATTUS: PIPEVINE SWALLOWTAILS: Totally 15 species

Battus polydamas (ph) ______ BD BH CU CY(*) DM DR(*) JM PR(*) SL SV (DV1:1) (F:38) (K:37) (PE:5) (PW:2) (S:55)
Battus polydamas lucayus ______ (subspecies in the southeast US & the Bahamas)
Battus polydamas cubensis ______ CY(*) (subspecies in Cuba, the Isle of Pines, and Grand Cayman Island)
Battus polydamas jamaicensis ______ JM (subspecies in Jamaica)
Battus polydamas polycrates ______ DR(*) (subspecies on Hispaniola)
Battus polydamas thyamus ______ PR(*) (subspecies in Puerto Rico & the Virgin Islands)
Battus polydamas antiquus ______ (subspecies in Antigua, now extinct)
Battus polydamas christopheranus ______ (subspecies on St. Kitts, St. Christopher, Montserrat, Nevis)
Battus polydamas neodamas ______ (subspecies on Guadeloupe, inc. Marie Galante Is.)
Battus polydamas dominicus ______ DM (subspecies on Dominica)
Battus polydamas cebriones ______ (subspecies on Martinique)
Battus polydamas lucianus ______ SL (subspecies on Saint Lucia)
Battus polydamas vincentius ______ SV (subspecies on Saint Vincent)
Battus polydamas grenadensis ______ (subspecies on Grenada & in the southern Grenadines)
Gold Rim Swallowtail (also called Polydamas Swallowtail, or Black Page)
(Range: throughout the Antilles & the Americas)

In the tropics, the Gold Rim (or Polydamas) Swallowtail is continuously brooded. Butterflies live about a week. Very common near human settlement. The mainland race is variable. Most West Indian islands have distinct local races, indicating little migration between islands and probable isolation for long periods of time.

No fewer than 13 subspecies of Battus polydamas have been recognized in the West Indies.

Battus polydamas cubensis occurs infrequently on Grand Cayman Island.

Polydamas Swallowtail,
showing the marginal row of red S marks
on the underside of the hindwing
Battus devilliersi ______ BH CU
De Villers' Swallowtail
(Range: the Bahamas & Cuba)
Battus zetides ______ DR
Zetides Swallowtail
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic)

Genus PARIDES: CATTLEHEARTS
Parides anchises ______
Cattle Heart
(Occurs in the Leeward Islands)
Parides neophilus ______
Spear-winged Cattle Heart
(Occurs in the Leeward Islands)
Parides gundlachianus gundlachianus ______ CU (subspecies in eastern Cuba)
Parides gundlachianus alayoi ______ CU (subspecies in western Cuba, Pinar del Rio)
Gundlach's Swallowtail
(Range: Cuba)

The Gundlach's Swallowtail is a beautiful butterfly, with green on the upper forewing, blue on the lower forewing, and red on the upper and lower hindwing.

Genus EURYTIDES: KITE SWALLOWTAILS: About 50 species confined to the New World. Some mimic PARIDES and HELICONIUS butterflies. Others have long tails, hence the name "Kite Swallowtails". Fast fliers. Engage in mud-puddling.
Eurytides marcellinus ______ JM (F:40)
Jamaican Kite Swallowtail
(Range: Jamaica, endemic)

The Jamaican Kite Swallowtail is classified as VULNERABLE in the Red Data Book of Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World.
Eurytides celadon ______ CU (F:39)
Cuban Kite Swallowtail
(Range: Cuba; with possible sightings of strays in the Florida Keys)
Eurytides zonaria ______ DR
Hispaniolan Kite Swallowtail
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic)

Genus: PAPILIO (or HERACLIDES, or PTEROURUS):
FLUTED SWALLOWTAILS: one of the most widespread of genera, with over 200 species. Most are tropical. Most are tailed. Many are migratory. These are the largest of the Swallowtails. They are butterflies of the sunshine, paths, roads, and open county. They readily visit flowers such as: Lantana, Bauhinia, Bougainvillea, and Hibiscus.

Papilio (or Heraclides) thoas ______ CU JM (C:295) (DV1:4) (K:38 text) (PE:6)
Papilio thoas oviedo ______ CU (subspecies in Cuba)
Thoas Swallowtail
(Range: Cuba, Jamaica; also Trinidad and the southern US thru Central & South America)

The Thoas Swallowtail is very similar to the Giant Swallowtail (K:39).

Papilio (or Heraclides) androgeus (ph) ______ (DV1:4) (F:52) (K:41) (PE:6)
Papilio androgeus epidaunus ______ CU DR PR LA (subspecies in the West Indies)
Androgeus Swallowtail (or Queen Page)
(Range: in the West Indies - Cuba, Hispaniola, St. Lucia; also Mexico to Argentina)

The female of the Androgeus Swallowtail tends to be reclusive, not often seen. She is polymorphic, with green hindwings, and no yellow band on the forewings.
The male spends much of his time in the forest canopy, occasionally coming down to mud-puddle.

The Androgeus Swallowtail, or Queen Page
Papilio (or Heraclides) thersites ______ JM
False Androgeus Swallowtail
(Range: Jamaica, endemic)
Papilio (or Heraclides) aristodemus ______ BH CU CY DR PR(*) (F:53) (PE:6)
Papilio aristodemus temenes ______ CU CY (subspecies in Cuba, Isle of Pines, and Little Cayman)
Papilio aristodemus ponceanus ______ BH (subspecies in the Florida Keys in the US, and in the northern Bahamas)
Papilio aristodemus majasi ______ BH (subspecies in the central Bahamas: Crooked & Acklin Is.)
Papilio aristodemus bjorndale ______ (subspecies in the Turks & Caicos Is., Mayaguana, Inagua)
Papilio aristodemus aristodemus ______ DR PR(*) (subspecies in Hispaniola, Mona Is., Puerto Rico)
Dusky Swallowtail (also called Schaus' Swallowtail)
(Range: Greater Antilles, north to the Florida Keys)

The Dusky (or Schaus') Swallowtail is an endangered species. It is classified as Threatened.
On the upperside, the wings have a thick yellow bar with yellow marks inside the margin, and a black tail. The yellow-orange undersides have red and a band of silvery-blue on the hindwing.)

The subspecies P. a. temenes has a broader yellow bar across the surfaces of both wings than in other subspecies.
Papilio (or Heraclides) andraemon ______ BH CU CY JM (F:54) (PE:6)
Papilio andraemon andraemon ______ CY (the nominate subspecies, occurring in the Bahamas, Cuba, Isle of Pines, Turks & Caicos, Jamaica, & in the Cayman Islands on Little Cayman & Cayman Brac)
Papilio andraemon tailori ______ CY (the "Grand Cayman Swallowtail", an endemic subspecies on Grand Cayman Island)
Papilio andraemon bonhotei ______ (a second subspecies in the Bahamas & the Turks & Caicos Islands; and recently in the Florida Keys, in the US)
Bahamian Swallowtail
(Range: Bahamas, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, & in Jamaica, where introduced)

The Bahamian Swallowtail lives in open flowery areas and breeds on members of the citrus family.
This large yellow and brown swallowtail has a reddish wedge-shaped mark on the underside of the hindwing.

In the Cayman Islands, two subspecies of Papilio andraemon occur. P. a. andraemon is found on the islands of Cayman Brac & Little Cayman, but the much larger and darker "Grand Cayman Swallowtail", P. a. tailori, flies only on Grand Cayman Island and nowhere else in the world, as it is 1 of the 5 endemic subspecies of butterflies that occur in the Caymans.
Papilio (or Heraclides) machaonides ______ DR(*)
Machaonides Swallowtail
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic)

Papilio machaonides is the most common swallowtail on Hispaniola.
Papilio (or Heraclides) aristor ______ DR (F:53)
Scarce Haitian Swallowtail
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic)

The habitats of the Scarce Haitian Swallowtail include dry scrub, and it probably breeds on citrus.
Classified as Indeterminate in the Red Data Book of Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World.
The warm brown ground of the butterfly is crossed on the forewing by a row of bead-like white spots which splits into two. There are yellow chevrons on the hindwing and a single eyespot. The rarely seen female is slightly larger and paler than the male, with larger yellow spots.
Papilio (or Heraclides) oxynius ______ CU
Oxynius Swallowtail (has been called Cuban Black Swallowtail)
(Range: Cuba, endemic)
Papilio (or Heraclides) caiguanabus ______ (F:55)
Poey's Swallowtail (or Poey's Balck Swallowtail)
(Range: Cuba, endemic)

The Poey's Black Swallowtail is classified as Indeterminate in the Red Data Book of Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World.
This pretty butterfly is distinguished by the bright yellow band which runs around the hindwings, wider on the hindwing than on the forewing, where it is white. There is a bold reddish area on the anal part of the hindwing. The sexes are similar.
Papilio (or Heraclides) pelaus ______ JM(*) (F:64)
Papilio pelaus pelaus ______ JM(*) (subspecies in Jamaica)
Papilio pelaus atkinsi ______ CU (subspecies in Cuba)
Papilio pelaus imerius ______ DR PR (subspecies in Hispaniola & Puerto Rico)
Pelaus (or Caribbean) Swallowtail (also called Prickly Ash Swallowtail)
(Range: the Greater Antilles; in Jamaica it is widely distributed)

The Pelaus Swallowtail is not threatened . There are, as noted above, 3 subspecies. This swallowtail often flies in shady wooded areas. The brown ground color is crossed on the forewing by a curved yellow band and on the tailed hindwing by a series of red spots. There is a small eye-spot in the anal region of the hindwing.
Papilo (or Pterourus) homerus ______ JM(*) (F:59)
Homerus Swallowtail (also called Homer's Swallowtail)
(Range: Jamaica, where it is an endemic resident, occurring in rainforests in both lowland and highland areas.)

Due to habitat destruction, the Homerus Swallowtail is classified as Endangered in the Red Data Book of Threatened Swallowtails of the World. Also, this attractive butterfly has been much collected.
It has contrasting light & dark markings, similar in both sexes. A white-cream band crosses both dark wings, and the hindwing has a row of submarginal spots. This is the largest butterfly in the New World.
Papilio polyxenes (ph) ______ BH CU (C:203) (F:65) (K:29) (PE:2,4,514)(PW:3)
Papilio polyxenes polyxenes ______ CU (subspecies in Cuba)
Black Swallowtail

Black Swallowtail
(photo by Howard Eskin)

Family PIERIDAE: most are predominantly white, yellow, or orange in color, and are often referred to as WHITES, YELLOWS, SULPHURS, or MARBLES
Worldwide, over 1,000 species of WHITES & SULPHURS have been described.

Subfamily DISMORPHIINAE: MIMIC WHITES. A long-winged, tropical group of about 100 species.

Genus DISMORPHIA: This grouping is of about 40 species of "atypical" PIERIDS.
They are large and widely distributed, mostly in South America.
Many of the DISMORPHIDS are involved in mimicry, often being remarkable mimics of various distasteful butterflies.
Their wingshapes and coloration can be misleading, causing them to be regarded as ITHOMIIDS or HELICONIDS.
Also, these DISMORPHIDS often fly in the same localities and occupy the same habitats as the ITHOMIIDS or HELICONIDS which they resemble. Thus, unlike more "typical" PIERIDS, they often prefer shady areas. Sometimes, however. they can be found resting on leaves, with their wings open, trying to catch some sunlight struggling to enter the dark places where they hide.
At the beginning of the dry season, large numbers can be encountered imbibing nectar from flowers growing at the edge of the forest or along pathways.
The patterning of DISMORPHIDS is quite variable.

Dismorphia amphione ______ (DV1:6) (S:74)
Tiger Pierid
(Range: Cuba, Hispaniola, & Puerto Rico; also Trinidad, and Mexico thru South America)

The Tiger Pierid is a highly variable species, so variable that different populations have hitherto been regarded as different species.
Dismorphia spio ______ DR (F:94)
Haitian Mimic
(Range: in the Antilles, in rainforest above 2,000 feet)

Clearly the mimic of another butterfly, the Haitian Mimic is almost certainly a heliconid with long forewings and a similar color and pattern. The color of this butterfly is variable, from yellow, orange to brown. The body is long and thin. The forewing is strongly curved, almost with a hook-tip.

Subfamily PIERINAE: a cosmopolitan group, well represented in both temperate and tropical regions, with as many as 1200 species worldwide.

Genus APPIAS (or GLUTOPHRISSA) : A distinctive group with strongly curved wings (especially in the males), which makes them powerful fliers. Many dwell in the rainforest. Males commonly mud-puddle. The sexes are usually completely different in color, with the females darker with more subdued coloration.
This APPIAS genus occurs in Asia (mainly), Africa, and Australia, in addition to the Americas. This genus in the New World is now said, for structural reasons, to be GLUTOPHRISSA (with 2 species).
(Note: The APPIAS butterflies in the Old World are referred to as THE GULLS.)

Appias (or Glutophrissa) drusilla ______ BD BH CU CY(*) DM(*) DR JM PR SL SV (DV1:12) (K:53) (PE:7)(PW:7)
Appias drusilla poeyi ______ CY(*) (subspecies in the Bahamas, Cuba and the Isle of Pines, and the Cayman Islands; in the Caymans, it is of regular occurrence only Little Cayman & Cayman Brac)
Appias drusilla monomorpha ______ (in the Lesser Antilles, subspecies on Grenada & in the Grenadines)
Tropical White (also called Florida White)
(Range: throughout the West Indies; also the southern US, and Central & South America, in lowland tropical evergreen or semideciduous forests.)

Flying more rapidly than the Great Southern White, the Tropical White is an extraordinarily swift butterfly, "so swift that, in a few seconds, they traverse long distances. Not only do they fly extremely fast, but they also take their nourishment from flowers in the greatest haste. Only in imbibing water from the damp ground, where these butterflies, particularly the males, sometimes settle in large groups close together, do they allow themselves time, and engage in this activity for the moment as an amusement".

The male of the Tropical White is a "shining white", while the female is a "more creamy white".

In some literature, Appias (or Glutophrissa) drusilla appears with the generic name Aphrissa.
Appias punctifera ______ JM PR
D'Almeida's White
(Range: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, & the Virgin Islands)

The D'Almeida's White has a small black spot on the forewing.

Genus ASCIA: in North, Central, and South America. 8 species of large plain white butterflies with some brown or gray markings, especially in the females. They live in open areas.

Ascia monuste ______ BD BH CU CY(*) DM(*) DR JM PR SL SV (DV1:12) (K:53) (PE:8)(PW:8)
Ascia monuste eubotea ______ CY(*) (subspecies throughout the Greater Antilles and associated islands including the Caymans)
Ascia monuste virginia ______ SV (subspecies from the Virgin Islands to Saint Vincent)
Ascia monuste monuste ______ (South American subspecies in Grenada & the Grenadines)
Great Southern White
(Range: the Antilles; also the southern US, and Central & South America, in coastal salt marshes & dunes; also open places such as fields & gardens; migrants are in a variety of open habitats)

The migrating Great Southern White females are almost totally gray in color, while non-migratory females are largely yellowish-white with dark brown margins.

Genus GANYRA: This group of North, Central, and South American butterflies are powerful fliers, and some are strong migrants. They live in open areas, and breed on members of the caper, crucifer or cabbage, and nasturtium families.
Ganyra josephina ______ (PE:8)(PW:8)
Giant White
(Range: the Greater Antilles; also Mexico & Central America, at forest edges, usually in seasonally dry tropical lowlands)

Subfamily COLIADINAE: SULPHURS
300 species worldwide

Genus PHOEBIS (or RHABDODRYAS): GIANT SULPHURS. A grouping of 10 species, exclusively in the Americas.
They are the most conspicuous of the tropical SULPHURS, being common and large. They are given to vast migrations and are often found in open areas & forest edges. They are fast flying, and all members of the genus are migrants.
The sexes are dimorphic. Males, more often than females, cluster on moist sand along rivers & streams. The females usually has less active behavior, flying not far from vegetation, or simply visiting flowers.

Phoebis (or Rhabdodryas) trite ______ DM (DV1:8)
Straight-line Sulphur
(Range: the Antilles: also Mexico to Argentina)

Phoebis sennae sennae (ph) ______ BD BH CU CY DM DR JM PR SL SV (DV1:9) (F:105) (K:75) (PE:10)(PW:12)
(subspecies in the West Indies, but all subspecies are usually described as rather indistinguishable - see note however below)
Cloudless Sulphur
(Range: throughout the West Indies; also the southern US to Argentina)

The Cloudless Sulphur can be abundant in both lowlands & highlands. It prospers in open land, with weedy tropical & subtropical plants. The female is variable, with some being yellowish.

Females in the Cayman Islands are noted as being similar to those of Phoebis agarithe.

What is said to be a rare & local race on Hispaniola, P. s. editha, has females which are orange or orange-red in color.

Phoebis sennae is a strong flier. It is well known to undertake migrations involving enormous numbers of individuals. In literature, there are accounts of tremendous migrations during May & June near Kingston, Jamaica, and at sea off the Caymans, with that flight heading northwest.

Cloudless Sulphur

Phoebis argante argante ______ CU DM DR JM PR SL SV (DV1:9) (F:104) (PW:text)
Argante Giant Sulphur (also called Apricot Sulphur)
(Range: the Antilles; also Mexico to Paraguay, in tropical forest clearings, roadsides, gardens, pastures) .
Phoebis avellaneda ______ CU DR JM
Red-splashed Sulphur
(Range: This species occurs in eastern Cuba and almost everywhere in Hispaniola.)

The Red-splashed Sulphur is a thrilling butterfly to see, and a confusing one when encountered with the similar species Phoebis philea. It differs from philea in that the male has deep red patches washed with a purple sheen on the forewing, and the female has a red underside as opposed to being yellow on philea. Both species occur in Hispaniola & Cuba.
Phoebis philea (ph) ______ BH CU CY(on occasion) DR PR (PE:10)
Phoebis philea philea ______ (subspecies established in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and probably what occurs at times in the Caymans)
Phoebis philea thalestris ______ (subspecies on Hispaniola)
Phoebis philea hueberi ______ (another subspecies in Cuba, endemic to that island)
Orange-barred Sulphur
(Range: in the West Indies, in Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, & on occasion in the Caymans, and in the Lesser Antilles; also throughout much of lowland tropical America south to Brazil, and in Florida & the Fla. Keys, since about 1928)

Males of Phoebis philea (distinctive enough for a good ID) were first observed on Grand Cayman in January 2002. The butterfly was seen there fairly regularly until Hurricane Ivan struck in September 2004. After that hurricane, it was not seen on Grand Cayman for a long time, until February 2007. However, none were noted there in 2008.
Only males have been identified on Grand Cayman.

Orange-barred Sulphur
Phoebis agarithe antillia (ph) ______ BH CU CY DM DR JM PR (PE:10) (subspecies in most of the West Indies)
Phoebis agarithe pupillata ______ (subspecies on Grenada & in the Grenadines)
Large Orange Sulphur (or Cloudless Orange)
(Range: throughout the West Indies; also from Florida & Texas south to Peru)

Phoebis agarithe and Phoebis sennae often fly together. Both have a swift, but not necessarily high, flight.

Both sexes of Phoebis agarithe visit flowers of Bougainvillea, Hibiscus, Lantana, Stachytarpheta, and other flowering plants.

Genus KRICOGONIA

KRICOGONIA butterflies are smaller than Glutophrissa drusilla, the Tropical White.

There is a historical note of large numbers of the genus KRICOGONIA migrating in a north-westerly direction in Jamaica and off the Cayman Islands with millions (yes, millions) of Phoebis sennae and Ascia moniste, and smaller numbers of Anteos maerula.
Kricogonia lyside ______ CU (DV1:8) (K:77) (PE:8)(PW:13)
Lyside Sulphur (or Lyside)
(Range: the Antilles; also from the southern US to Venezuela, in lowland scrub & seasonally dry forest edges)
Kricogonia cabrerai ______ CU
(Range: Cuba, endemic)

Genus APHRISSA: Central & South American WHITES, similar to PHOEBIS. With shiny undersides.
Aphrissa (has been Phoebis) statira ______ CU CY(locally, & on occasion) DM(*) JM (D1:9) (F:80) (PE:10)(PW:13)
Aphrissa statira cubana ______ (subspecies in Cuba, Jamaica, & the Cayman Islands)
Migrant Sulphur (also called Yellow Migrant, or Statira Sulphur)
(Range: in most of the West Indies, where there are several subspecies; also Mexico to Brazil)

Aphrissa statira is strongly migratory, and when migrating it has been shown to be able to adjust its flight direction to compensate for wind drift. Aphrissa statira flies more slowly than a Phoebis butterfly.
Aphrissa orbis ______ CU CY(rare) DR (PE:text)
Aphrissa orbis orbis ______ (subspecies in Cuba & the Isle of Pines, and rarely in the Caymans)
Aphrissa orbis browni ______ (subspecies on Hispaniola)
Orbed Sulphur
(Range: resident on Cuba, including the Isle of Pines, and on Hispaniola)

On Hispaniola, Aphrissa orbis is usually in tropical moist forest above 1500 feet above sea level, but it also is found otherwise,

In the Cayman Islands, Aphrissa orbis has been noted as a vagrant on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac.

Genus ANTEOS
Anteos maerula ______ CY(rare) DR
Yellow Angled Sulphur (or Giant Brimstone)
(Range: in the West Indies, in the Greater Antilles, and in the Lesser Antilles in St. Kitts and Guadeloupe; as a vagrant on Grand Cayman; also from southern Florida, where it does not breed, south through Central America to Colombia & Peru)

Anteos maerula is a strong flying butterfly, found in scrubland and open ground.

In the Dominican Republic, Anteos maerula occurs from sea level to well over 6,000 feet.

The separation of the West Indian population as a distinct subspecies is said to be unjustified.

Genus NATHALIS

Nathalis iole ______ BH CU CY(rare) DR JM (K:71) (PE:10)(PW:13)
Dainty Sulphur (also called Dwarf Yellow)
(Range: in the West Indies in the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and only rarely in the Caymans; also North America to Guatemala, in dry open areas, including weedy fields, sandy coastal flats, hillsides)

The Dainty Sulphur is unique among SULPHURS, in several structural features, so much so that some say it belongs in a separate subfamily. Its forewings are elongated.
The species is sexually dimorphic & seasonally diphenic.)

As with the species in the genera Eurema and Pyrisitia, Nathalis iole flies close to the ground.

The first specimen of Nathalis iole in the Cayman Islands was a female caught on Little Cayman in August 1975.

Genera EUREMA, PYRISITIA, & ABAEIS: SMALL YELLOWS.
This widespread combination of genera, of 35-40 species, has a circumtropical distribution.
These butterflies are usually lemon-yellow with black borders. Males often have a long scent patch on the forewing.

Generally, these are the familiar little butterflies that fly along paths and roadways, usually in considerable numbers after rains. Blistering heat will often send them to pools of water or to the watering holes of cattle where the sand moistened with the urine of the animals furnishes them with mineralized liquid.

Eurema nicippe ______ BH CU CY(uncommon) DR JM PR (K:69) (PE:11)(PW:13)
Black-bordered Orange (or Sleepy Orange)
(Range: in the West Indies in the Bahamas, and the Greater Antilles and associated islands; also from mostly the southern US south to Costa Rica, occurring in low areas in lower austral & subtropical zones, in open woods, pines, open fields)

The Black-bordered (or Sleepy) Orange males often occur at mud puddles.

Eurema proterpia ______ (DV1:10) (F:97) (K:69) (PE:11)(PW:13)
Tailed Orange (or Little Jaune)
(Range: in the Antilles, in: Cuba, Hispaniola, & Jamaica; also in the southern US, thru Central & South America, (seasonally dry scrub, forest edges, pastures)

There are seasonally different forms of the Tailed Orange of both sexes. This butterfly occurs from sea level to mountains, and breeds on Desmodium species.

Eurema boisduvaliana ______ (DV1:10) (K:73) (PE:11)(PW:13)
Boisduval's Yellow
(Range: the Antilles; also Mexico to Costa Rica) (thorn scrub, pastures, & roadsides)

Eurema (or Pyristia) dina ______ BH CU DR JM (DV1:10) (K:73) (PE:11)(PW:13)
Bush Sulphur (another name has been Dina Yellow)
(Range: in the West Indies, in the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, & Hispaniola; also from the southern US to Panama, in edges of brushy fields & in open forests)

Eurema (or Pyristia) dina is very common throughout Cuba. It colonized in Florida in the 1970s. In Cuba, it keeps company with Abaeis nicippe, Eurema (or Pyristia) lisa, and Eurema daira. In contrast with most Eurema and Pyristia species, Eurema dina inhabits woody and bushy places, and tends to avoid open areas.

Eurema albula ______ SV (DV1:10)
Ghost Yellow
(Range: the West Indies; also Mexico to Brazil)

Eurema (or Pyrisitia) nise nise ______ BH CU JM (DV1:10) (K:71) (PE:11)(PW:13) (subspecies in the West Indies)
Mimosa Sulphur (or Mimosa Yellow) (other names are Blacktip Sulphur and Jamaican Sulphur)
(Range: in the the West Indies in Cuba and the Isle of Pines, the Bahamas, and Jamaica; also from the southern US to Argentina; brushy edges of woods)

The Mimosa Sulphur has been found in the Cayman Islands only once, on Cayman Brac.

Eurema (or Pyrisitia) lisa euterpe ______ BD BH CU CY DM(*) DR JM PR SL SV (DV1:10) (K:71) (PE:11)(PW:13) (subspecies in the West Indies)
Little Yellow (or Little Sulphur)
(Range: in the West Indies in the Bahamas and the Greater and Lesser Antilles south to Barbados; also from the US to Panama; found in open flowery areas, also dry sandy fields, roadsides)

In the Cayman Islands, the Little Sulphur was abundant on Grand Cayman in the 1970s & 1980s, but rare there in the late 1990s. It has not been seen on that island since 2002. In the 1970s, it was quite plentiful on Little Cayman & Cayman Brac.

Large migratory swarms of the North American nominate subspecies of the Little Sulphur have been reported as far offshore as Bermuda, but the West Indian subspecies, Eurema (or Pyrisitia) lisa euterpe shows little tendency to migrate. It is not a strong flier.

Eurema daira ______ CY DM (DV1:10) (F:96) (K:71) (PE:11)(PW:13)
Eurema daira palmira ______ SV (subspecies in the Greater and Lesser Antilles)
Eurema daira daira ______ (subspecies common in Florida & elsewhere in the southeast US, and also occurs in the Bahamas, and occasionally in Cuba; usually yellow on the upper surfaces of both wings in both sexes)
Barred Sulphur (or Barred Yellow)
(Range: in the West Indies; also from the southern US to Uruguay; in the Caribbean, it occurs in: Cuba, the Caymans, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and from Puerto Rico south to Grenada and Barbados.)

The Barred Sulphur (or Barred Yellow) is a species subject to seasonal dimorphism in both sexes. Where there is a dry and wet season, forms are distinct in appearance and behavior.
The wet season form (as noted in the Cayman Islands, and elsewhere) has more extensive dark markings than the dry season form.
The wet season form (as noted in Costa Rica and elsewhere) is active and dispersive, while the dry season form is relatively sedentary, aggregating in shady places much of the day.

The Barred Sulphur was relatively recently discovered in the Cayman Islands in 1975 (prior to it being depicted in a set of stamps issued in 1994).
In 2008, the Barred Sulphur was NOT found on the Cayman Islands, despite close scrutiny of dozens of butterflies that all turned out to be the False Barred Sulphur, Eurema elathea,

Eurema elathea ______ CY(*) DM SV (DV1:10)
False Barred Sulphur
(Range: throughout the West Indies; also Nicaragua to Brazil & Bolivia, in pastures, dunes, & forest edges in tropical & subtropical zones)

In the Cayman Islands, the False Barred Sulphur is easily the most numerous species of Eurema on Grand Cayman. In 1985, it was found for the first time on Cayman Brac, where it is now abundant, and in 2008 for the first time on Little Cayman Island.
Eurema (or Pyrisitia) messalina ______ BH CU JM (PE:text)
Shy Sulphur (or Shy Yellow)
(Range: resident locally in the West Indies, in brushy areas)

The Shy Sulphur has a limited range, occurring in the Bahamas (where it may be a distinct subspecies), Cuba and the Isle of Pines, and Jamaica. It has not been found on Grand Cayman Island since 1938.
Eurema leuce ______ DM
Hall's Yellow
(Range: in the West Indies, in: Hispaniola, St. Kitts, Dominica, St. Lucia, St, Martin, Guadeloupe, & Puerto Rico; also Panama to Argentina)

The sexes of the Hall's Yellow are similar, but the female is usually a paler yellow. However, in the subspecies on Hispaniola, E. l. nemulus, the female is darker than the male, and has a orange-brown spot on the apex of the hindwing.)
Eurema venusta ______ DM
Eurema venusta emanona ______ SV
Little Yellow
Eurema gratiosa ______
(this South American species occurs in the West Indies in the Grenadines)

Family LYCAENIDAE (GOSSAMER WINGS), including: COPPERS, HAIRSTREAKS, BLUES

Throughout the world but mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The sexes often differ in coloration, and the undersides usually differ from the upper surfaces.
Among several distinct groups are the HAIRSTREAKS, with tails and bright eyespot markings on the hindwings, creating a "false head" at the rear, to divert attackers.

Thus far, worldwide, about 5,000 species in this family have been discovered and named. Caterpillars of many of these species are closely associated with ants.

Genus EUMAEUS
Eumaeus atala atala ______ BH CU CY (PE:12) (only this nominate subspecies occurs in the Caribbean)
Atala Hairstreak
(Range: the Bahamas, Cuba; also southeast Florida & the Fla. Keys, in shaded, subtropical hardwood hammocks and adjacent open areas, & botanical gardens with ornamental cycads)

The Atala Hairstreak was only recently discovered in the Cayman Islands (prior to being depicted in a set of Cayman stamps issued in 1994). In the Caymans, it only occurs on Cayman Brac, where the main population appears to be on the central bluff.

Unlike other hairstreaks, the wings of Eumaeus atala are rounded, and there are no hindwing tails. Males are smaller than females.

Genus CHLOROSTRYMON: Mostly South American, these butterflies are dimorphic. Males are often brightly colored.

Chlorostrymon simaethis simaethis ______ DM SV (F:228) (K:117) (PE:13)(PW:15) (subspecies in the Lesser Antilles)
Silver-banded Hairstreak (or Simaethis Hairstreak) (Another name is St. Christopher's Hairstreak)
(Range: the West Indies; also from the southern US to Argentina)

The Silver-banded Hairstreak is similar to Chlorostrymon maesites in size and pattern, but the uppers are not as lively in color. The male is a dull iridescent purple; the female even duller. The undersides are yellow-green with extensive white areas toward the outer edge of the hindwing. This butterfly breeds on the sapindaceous vine, Cardiospermum halicacabum.
Chlorostrymon maesites maesites ______ CY(rare) JM SV (F:227) (PE:13)
Antillean (or Amethyst) Hairstreak
(Range: in the West Indies, in the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, and some of the Virgin Islands and Lesser Antilles; also southeast Florida & Fla. Keys, occurring in evergreen or semideciduous forest and hammocks.)

In Jamaica, Chlorostrymon maesites is a butterfly of open ground, where it occurs in fields that have begun to be overgrown. Its flashing colors make it easy to follow as it flits from bush to bush.

In the Cayman Islands, Chlorostrymon maesites is known from only a single occurrence, an unmistakable male on Grand Cayman in July 2003.
Chlorostrymon clenchi ______ DM
Dominican (or Clench's) Hairstreak
(Range: Dominica, endemic)

Chlorostrymon clenchi was once considered a subspecies of Chlorostrymon maesites. The closely-related Chlorostrymon telea ranges in Central & South America.

Genus ALLOSMAITIA
Allosmaitia coelebs ______ DM
St. Peter's Hairstreak
Allosmaitia piplea ______ DM
Godman's Hairstreak
(Range: the Lesser Antilles, endemic to those islands)

Genus ELECTROSTRYMON
Electrostrymon angelia ______ CY (PE:13)
Electrostrymon angelia angelia ______ CY (subspecies in Cuba, the Isle of Pines, the Cayman Islands, and in south Florida; in the Caymans, it occurs on Grand Cayman & Cayman Brac)
Electrostrymon angelia dowi ______ BH (subspecies in the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Is.)
Electrostrymon angelia pantoni ______ JM (subspecies in Jamaica)
Electrostrymon angelia boveri ______ PR (subspecies from Hispaniola to the Virgin Islands)
Fulvous Hairstreak
(Range: in the West Indies, in the Bahamas, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands; also south Florida & Fla. Keys; occurs in tropical hardwood hammock edges)

The Fulvous Hairstreak was only discovered relatively recently in the Cayman Islands (prior to being depicted in a set of Cayman stamps issued in 1994). It was first found on Grand Cayman in 1985.

Electrostrymon angelia perches with wings closed on the upper surfaces of leaves, and it roosts in the tree canopy.
Electrostrymon pan ______ JM
Jamaican (or Pan) Hairstreak
(Range: Jamaica, endemic)
Electrostrymon angerona ______ DM SV
Bronze (or Angerona) Hairstreak
(Range: the Lesser Antilles, endemic to those islands)
Electrostrymon dominicana ______ DM
Dominican Hairstreak
(Range: the Lesser Antillean island of Dominica, endemic)

Genus MINISTRYMON: These HAIRSTREAKS of North & South America have adaptations for living in deserts. Breed on mesquites, spiny trees, and shrubs of the Proposis genus, which grow in deserts, especially by watercourses. The colors of the butterflies are blue, gray, and black.

Ministrymon azia ______ SV (K:119) (PE:13)(PW:18)
Gray Ministreak (or Azia Hairstreak)
(Range: the West Indies; also from south Texas to southern Brazil)

Genus CALYCOPIS
Calycopis cecrops ______ (PE:13)
Red-banded Hairstreak
(Range: in the West Indies on New Providence Is. in the Bahamas)

Genus PSEUDOLYCAENA: A single species which occurs mostly in South America, but also in the Caribbean.
Pseudolycaena marsyas cybele ______ SV (F:266) (subspecies restricted to Saint Vincent)
Giant Hairstreak
(Recorded in the Windward Islands, in forested areas of St. Vincent.)

The Giant Hairstreak is the largest hairstreak in the West Indies. This tailed blue has curved and pointed forewings. The uppers are sky blue with black markings, and the undersides are a silvery blue with black spots. This butterfly is often found in swampy locations.)

Genus STRYMON: SCRUB HAIRSTREAKS: In both North & South America. Butterflies exhibit seasonal variation.

Strymon melinus ______ BH (PE:15)
Gray Hairstreak
(Range in the West Indies: on Grand Bahama Island)

Strymon rufofusca ______ SV (K:123) (PE:15)
Red-crescent Scrub-Hairstreak (or Reddish Hairstreak)
(Range in the West Indies: Grenada; also south Texas to Argentina)
Strymon martialis ______ CY (F:273) (PE:15)
Martial Scrub-Hairstreak (Other names are: Long-tailed Hairstreak, Blue-and-Gray Hairstreak, & Cuban Gray Hairstreak)
(Range: the West Indies; also south Florida & Fla. Keys, in open lowlands)

The sexes of the Martial (or Cuban) Scrub-Hairstreak are fairly similar, although the slightly larger female has a more pronounced violet-blue. The violet-blue covers most of the hindwing and the trailing edge of the forewing. The rest of the wings are dark brown. The male has a dark sex brand on the forewing.

In the Caymans, Strymon martialis occurs on Grand Cayman and Little Cayman. On Little Cayman, it can be common. On Grand Cayman, it was first seen in 1985.
Strymon acis ______ CY DM (F:273) (PE:15)
Bartram's Scrub-Hairstreak (Other names are: Drury's Hairstreak, Acis Hairstreak, & Antillean Hairstreak)
(Range: in the West Indies, in the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and in the Lesser Antilles as far south as Dominica; also south Florida & Fla. Keys, occurring in gardens and beside woodland. It breeds on the attractive spurge plant, Croton.)

The Bartram's Scrub-Hairstreak is a two-tailed hairstreak. The sexes are fairly similar, brown-black above and gray-slate below. There is a thick "hairstreak" line crossing the wings, and a large orange spot by the tails.

A large number of more or less distinct island forms of Strymon acis have developed in the Caribbean, and many have been formally described as subspecies. The population in the Caymans has not been assigned to a subspecies, as its taxonomy there is still confused.
Strymon limenia ______ (PE:14)
Disguised Scrub-Hairstreak
(Range: the West Indies; also Florida Keys)

Strymon bazochii ______ (K:123) (PE:15)(PW:18)
Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak (or Bazochii Hairstreak)
(Range: the Greater Antilles; also from south Texas to Paraguay)
Strymon istapa ______ CY
Dotted Hairstreak
(Range: in the West Indies, in the Bahamas, Cuba, the Isle of Pines, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico; also in the southern US and Mexico. In the Caymans, it occurs on Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac.)

In literature regarding Caribbean butterflies, Strymon istapa appears as a subspecies of Strymon columella (S. c. cybira).
However, Strymon columella is a distinct species found in the Lesser Antilles.
Strymon columella ______ DM
Columella (or Hewitson's) Hairstreak
(Range: in the Lesser Antilles, from the Virgin Islands to Dominica)
Strymon bubastus ponce ______ DM SV
Bubastus Hairstreak

Subfamily POLYOMMATINAE: BLUES. Very small butterflies, mostly blue above. Females of many are browner.

Genus BREPHIDIUM
Brephidium isophthalma ______ (PE:15)
Eastern Pygmy Blue
(Range: the West Indies; also locally in southeastern US)
Brephidium exilis ______ CY(*) (PE:15)
Brephidium exilis thompsoni ______ CY(*) (subspecies endemic in the Cayman Islands: the "Grand Cayman Pygmy Blue")
(Western) Pygmy Blue
(Range: the western US & Mexico)

The "Grand Cayman Pygmy Blue", B. e. thompsoni, was named, in 1938, after Gerald Thompson, an Oxford University biology student, who took part that year in the Oxford Expedition to the Cayman Islands.
The subspecies, endemic to Grand Cayman Island, was first discovered in 1938. It was not found again until 1985, when two colonies were located on the north & west coasts of the island. In 2002, another colony was found on Grand Cayman at Midland Acres.

Genus LEPTOTES: A relatively small grouping of striped and generally tailed blues, small in size, which have colonized various parts of Europe, Asia, and North and South America. They are sexually dimorphic. Butterflies breed on members of the pea family, Leguminosae. Some species are migratory.

Leptotes cassius ______ BH CU CY(*) DM DR JM PR SL SV (K:127) (PE:16)(PW:19) (S:99)
Leptotes cassius theonus ______ CY(*) (subspecies in the Greater Antilles, and Mona Island, the Cayman Islands, and Florida; in the Caymans on Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, & Cayman Brac)
Cassius Blue
(Range: the West Indies; also from the southern US to South America)

Cassius Blue males are a light lilac-blue, females are mainly white. the species is particularly attracted to blue and violet flowers, in open grassy scrubland.

Genus CYCLARGUS (formerly part of the following genus, HEMIARGUS)
Butterflies in the genera CYCLARGUS & HEMIARGUS have commonly been called "EYED BLUES".
These butterflies occur in both North & South America.
The common name is from 2 or 3 eye-spots on the undersides of the hindwings. They breed on a wide variety of members of the pea family, Leguminosae.
Cyclargus (was Hemiargus) ammon ______ CU CY(*)
Cyclargus ammon erembis ______ CY(*) (subspecies in the Cayman Islands: "Cayman Lucas Blue")
Cyclargus ammon ammon ______ (subspecies in Cuba)
Lucas's Blue (has also been called Nickerbean Blue)
(Range: locally in the West Indies, and in the Florida Keys; it was first found in Florida in 1985, and has since become established on the Lower Keys.)

The taxonomy of the Cyclargus genus is somewhat confused. In recent literature (in 2004), Cyclargus thomasi (below) is treated as a subspecies of Cyclargus ammon. Cyclargus ammon, however, differs from Cyclargus thomasi in having a row of 3, not 4, small dark spots at the base of the hindwing underside.

Cyclargus ammon erembis was originally described as a full species, and opinion is still divided as to whether or not it is. Further research could show it to be specifically distinct, and thus the only butterfly species endemic to the Cayman Islands.

In Florida, the Lucas's Blue, Cyclargus ammon, was previously misidentified as Cyclargus (formerly Hemiargus) thomasi berthunebakeri, the Miami Blue.

Cyclargus (was Hemiargus) thomasi ______ (F:238) (PE:15)
Miami (Eyed) Blue (also called the Caribbean (Eyed) Blue, or Thomas's (Eyed) Blue)
(Range: the West Indies; also Florida Keys & formerly south Florida, in tropical hardwood hammock openings and edges.)

The key identification feature of the Miami Blue is the pair of large black spots on the leading edge of the underside of the hindwing. The female has orange around one of two other black spots which are near the trailing edge of the hindwing. The uppers of the male are powdery blue.

Genus HEMIARGUS

Hemiargus ceraunus ______ (K:129) (PE:15)(PW:19)
Ceraunus Blue
(Range: the West Indies; also from the southern US to South America)
Hemiargus hanno ______ BH CU CY(*) DM DR JM PR SL SV
Hemiargus hanno filenus ______ CY(*) (subspecies in Cuba and the Isle of Pines, the Bahamas, the Turks & Caicos Islands, and the Cayman Islands, where it occurs on Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, & Cayman Brac)
Hanno Blue
(Range: the West Indies, and from the southern US through Central & South America, south to Argentina)

In some literature, Hemiargus hanno is given as Cyclargus ceraunus filenus.


Family NYMPHALIDAE: BRUSHFOOTS
Cosmopolitan, with subfamilies range from 8 to 25, depending upon taxonomic treatment

This is the most diverse family of butterflies, with approximately 6,000 known species worldwide. Brushfoot butterflies appear 4 rather than 6-legged as their 2 front legs are much reduced.

Subfamily LIBYTHEINAE: SNOUTS

Genus LIBYTHEANA: A group of SNOUT BUTTERFLIES with long palps which protrude under the head like a snout. There are about 10 species which occur in South and Central America, and the West Indies.
They breed on members of Celtis which belong to the elm family, Ulmaceae.

Libytheana carinenta ______ (C:281) (DV1:20) (F:175) (K:223) (PE:18)(PW:22) (S:146)
American Snout
(Range: a widespread species, in the West Indies, and from the southern US to Brazil)
Libytheana fulvescens ______ DM
Dominican Snout
(Range: the Lesser Antillean island of Dominica, endemic)

Genus COLOBURA: only 1 species is in this genus

Colobura dirce ______ CU DR JM PR (C:291) (DV1:21) (S:114)
The Mosaic
(Range: the West Indies; also from Mexico thru Central & South America)

Overall, The Mosaic is very common and may be encountered on rotting fruit or simply resting very still on a tree trunk for a long period of time. In the West Indies, it is common in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, & Puerto Rico.

Genus HISTORIS: 1 of these species, H. acheronta used to be regarded as belonging to a genus of its own, COEA.

Historis odius orion (ph) ______ CU DM DR JM PR SL SV (DV1:21) (PE :text)
Orion Cecropian (also called Stinky Leaf Wing)
(Range: the West Indies; also throughout Central & South America; in North America it's a rare stray to Florida)

The Orion Cecropian is a strong flier, found on all of the islands of the Lesser Antilles. The wings have velvety dark brown uppersides and cryptically-colored undersides. At rest, with the wings folded, this butterfly blends into the background which is often tree bark.

Above & below: An Orion Cecropian that flew into a house at the end of the day
on the island of Saint Vincent in the West Indies.
Our thanks to Astrill for e-mailing us the photographs on March 15, 2011.

Below: An Orion Cecropian in the bright sunlight,
as it would more normally be, on the trunk of a tree.

Historis acheronta ______ CU DR JM (C:353) (DV1:21) (PW:31)
Tailed Cecropian (also called Acheronta or Cadmus)
(Range: the Greater Antilles, in: Cuba, Hispaniola, & Jamaica; also from Mexico to the Amazon Basin)

Subfamily CHARAXINAE: LEAF BUTTERFLIES

Genus ANAEA: LEAFWINGS: This grouping of about 120 species occur in the Caribbean and Central & South America. They are similar in behavior to the African genus CHARAXES. They are called LEAFWING butterflies because the undersides of the wings are leaf-like and disguise the butterfly when it settles on the ground. Some species are sexually dimorphic. The larvae feed on members of the Euphorbiaceae (spurges), Piperaceae (peppers), and Lauraceae.
Anaea troglodyta (ph) ______ CY(*)
Anaea troglodyta cubana ______ CY (subspecies in Cuba, the Isle of Pines, & Grand Cayman Island)
Anaea troglodyta portia _____ (subspecies in Jamaica)
Anaea troglodyta borinquenalis ______ (subspecies in Puerto Rico)
Anaea troglodyta troglodyta ______ (the nominate subspecies, on Hispaniola)
Cuban Red Leaf Butterfly (another name has been Troglodyte)
(Range: in the Caribbean, in Jamaica, Cuba, Grand Cayman, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, & Antigua)

Anaea troglodyta is closely related to Anaea floridalis, the Florida Leafwing, of the Florida Keys & extreme southern peninsular Florida - (PE:25).)
The sexes of Anaea troglodyta are similar but the female is larger and with yellow-orange patches on the outer margins of the forewings.

Anaea troglodyta was first discovered on Grand Cayman Island in 1983.

Anaea troglodyta, the Cuban Red Leaf Butterfly
(photo courtesy of Adrian Delnevo)
Anaea cubana ______ (F:116)
Leaf Wing
(Range: Occurs only in Cuba, where however it is migratory.)

Anaea cubana is the largest Anaea. It is distinguished by its bright orange, almost red, color on the upper surface. The forewing is hooked, and the hindwing is partially scalloped with a substantial tail. Females are larger than males. The undersides are dill. This butterfly feeds on members of the spurge family, such as crotons, often grown in gardens.

Note: Anaea cubana is not Anaea troglodyta cubana.

Genus MEMPHIS
Memphis verticordia ______ CY(*) (PE:25) (a somber relative of Anaea troglodyta & Anaea cubana)
Memphis verticordla danielana ______ CY(*) (the "Cayman Velvety Brown Leaf-Butterfly", this subspecies endemic to the Cayman Islands, on all 3 islands; 1 of the 5 butterfly species endemic to the Caymans)
Memphis verticola echemus ______ (subspecies in Cuba & the Isle of Pines)
Memphis verticola bahamae ______ (subspecies in the Bahamas)
Cuban Brown Leaf Butterfly (has been called the Chestnut Leafwing)
(Range: Cuba, the Caymans, & the Bahamas)
.
Note: Memphis verticola has been Memphis (or Anaea) echemus.
Memphis dominicana ______ DM
Godman's Brown Leaf Butterfly
(Range: the Lesser Antilles, endemic to those islands)

Genus SIDERONE: 3 or 4 distinctive butterflies distributed from southern Mexico to southern Brazil, and in the West Indies.
Siderone galanthis ______
Red-and-black Leafwing
(Range: Hispaniola; also southern Mexico to southern Brazil)

Genus MESTRA
Mestra cana ______ DM SL SV
Saint Lucia Mestra
(Range: confined to the Windward Islands: Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados, & Grenada; also in Trinidad & Tobago and in northern South America)

The Saint Lucia Mestra is a fairly common but drab yellow-gray species with light whitish-gray patches. It is a slow flier, settling on flowers bordering hill tracks and roadsides.
Mestra dorcas ______ JM
Jamaican Mestra
(Range: Jamaica, endemic)

The Jamaican Mestra is with an orange coloration.

Genus BIBLIS: A single species. Breeds on Tragia, a species of spurge.

Biblis hyperia hyperia (ph) ______ DM DR GD PR(*) SL SV (DV1:21) (F:124) (K:215) (PE:25)(PW:31)
Red Rim
(Range: the West Indies, widespread in the Lesser Antilles, from the Virgin Islands to St. Lucia, and common in the Greater Antilles except Cuba & Jamaica; also occurs from Mexico to the Amazon Basin)

The Red Rim is quite variable throughout its range. It is a fairly slow flier that frequents open ground, feeding often on rotting fruit, but also settling, with open wings, on green vegetation. It is common.

Red Rim

Genus HAMADRYAS: the CRACKERS, also called "CALICO BUTTERFLIES"
Hamadryas amphichloe diasia ______   CU CY(rare) DR(*) JM (PE:26) (subspecies in the Antilles)
Pale Cracker (also called the Haitian Cracker, or "Click Butterfly")
(Range: the West Indies; also in South America south to Ecuador; a rare stray in the Florida Keys, where possibly an import on exotic plants. Can be common on Hispaniola; also known in Cuba & Jamaica.)


Genus EUNICA: There are from some say 40 or so to maybe 60 species in Central & South America and the Greater Antilles, but most occur almost exclusively in Amazonas. They live mostly in primary forest, and have a preference for sub-montane habitats. Like most NYMPHALIDS, they are attracted to putrefying fruit. Most species are medium-sized with dull-coloring and SATYRID-like ocelli and markings below.

Eunica tatila (ph) ______ BH CU DR JM PR (DV1:22) (K:215) (PE:25)(PW:30)
Florida Purplewing (or Large Purplewing)
(Range: the West Indies, in the Greater Antilles; also from the southern US to the Amazon Basin)

Florida Purplewing

Eunica monima modesta ______ BH CU DR JM PR (DV1:22) (K:215) (PE:25)(PW:30)
Dingy Purple Wing
(Range: the Antilles & Bahamas; also the US & Mexico thru Central & South America)

Genus ADELPHA: Over a hundred species which are among the most common and characteristic butterflies of the Neotropics. They occur from Central America south to Paraguay & Argentina, with some in the West Indies. Throughout that range, they can be found from sea level to 8 or 9,000 feet.
These butterflies share the characteristic of an orange patch at the apex of the forewing, a feature had by few other Caribbean butterflies.
Adelpha abyla ______ JM
Jamaican Admiral
(In Jamaica)
Adelpha iphicla ______ CU
Cuban Admiral
(In Cuba)
Adelpha lapitha ______ DR
(In Hispaniola)
Adelpha gelania ______ DR PR(*)
Haitian Admiral
(In Hispaniola & Puerto Rico)

Genus DOXOCOPA (or CHLORIPPE): About 30 species distributed from Mexico to Argentina, and in the West Indies. They are forest fliers that are sometimes confused with ADELPHA, but they can be distinguished from species in that genus by the blue or green metallic reflection of the upper surface and the silvery white ground color of the under surface.

Genus ARCHAEOPREPONA
Archaeoprepona demophoon (ph) ______ CU DR JM
Two-spotted Prepona (also called the Silverking, or Hubner's Shoemaker)
(Range: in the West Indies in Cuba & Hispaniola; also from Mexico to Paraguay)

The Silverking, or Two-spotted Prepona

Genus MARPESIA: DAGGERWINGS: A genus of mostly Central and South American butterflies, but also occurs in Africa. Called "daggerwings" after the long tail on each hindwing.
The butterflies, some of which are dimorphic, engage in mud-puddling.

Marpesia petreus (ph) ______ DM PR SL SV (DV1:23) (F:177) (K:219) (PE:25)(PW:31) (S:123)
Ruddy Daggerwing (also called Southern Daggertail; in the West Indies called the Tailed Flambeau)
(Range: in the West Indies, in the Lesser Antilles on St. Lucia, Dominica, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts, and in Puerto Rico & on nearby Mona Island; also from the southern US thru Central & South America)

The Ruddy Daggerwing visits flowers and mud-puddles. In flight, very similar to D. juno, the Silver Spot, and one or two other species that feed to together on flowering shrubs. This species and D. juno both occur in the Lesser Antilles.

Ruddy Daggerwing

Marpesia chiron ______ CU CY(rare) DR JM PR (C:273) (DV1:23) (K:219) (PE:25)(PW:31)
Many-banded Daggerwing (also called Common Daggertail)
(Range: the West Indies; also southern US, Central & South America. Rarely in Jamaica. Its Caribbean stronghold is Cuba.)

The Many-banded Daggerwing is most commonly observed at fallen fruit.

Marpesia chiron has occurred as a vagrant on Grand Cayman Island. One was photographed there in December 2005.
Marpesia eleuchea ______ BH CU CY(rare) DR JM (PE:25)
Marpesia eleuchea eleuchea ______ (the nominate subspecies, in Cuba & the Isle of Pines)
Marpesia eleuchea dospassosi ______ (subspecies on Hispaniola)
Marpesia eleuchea pellenis ______ (subspecies in Jamaica)
Marpesia eleuchea bahamensis ______ (subspecies in the Bahamas)
Antillean Daggerwing (has also been called Cuban Daggerwing)
(Range: the West Indies; occasionally strays to the Florida Keys, presumably from Cuba; Occurs in tropical woodlands.)

At least 3 subspecies of the Antillean Daggerwing are known. Most common in the Greater Antilles, this butterfly breeds on Ficus species.
The key difference between this species and the Tailed Flambeau, or Ruddy Daggerwing, Marpesia petreus, is the bent lines crossing the wings. In M. petreus, they are straight.

Marpesia eleuchea has occurred as a vagrant and temporary resident on Grand Cayman Island. It was discovered there in December 2001, at a garden in Georgetown. Sightings continued there and nearby, of multiple individuals, until April 2002.

Some consider Marpesia eleuchea as a subspecies of Marpesia petreus, the Ruddy Daggerwing, that occurs in Central & South America, and ranging north in the US to Texas & Florida. In the Caribbean, it occurs, as noted above, in Puerto Rico, on Mona island, and in the Lesser Antilles.
Marpesia petreus differs from Marpesia eleuchea in having a longer tail, more produced tornal angles and forewing apex, and straight transverse balck lines on the forewing. On Marpesia eleuchea, the only complete transverse black line is angled basically over its anterior one-third.

Genus SIPROETA: Butterflies in South & Central America, and as far north as the southern US.

Siproeta (or Metamorpha) stelenes (ph) ______ CY(*) DM DR(*) JM(*) PR(*) SL SV (DV1:28) (F:202) (K:209) (PE:26)(PW:30)
Siproeta stelenes biplagiata ______ CY(*) (subspecies in Central America, Cuba, Isle of Pines, & Grand Cayman; a recent colonist in Florida in the US)
Siproeta stelenes stelenes ______ DR(*) JM(*) PR(*) (subspecies in Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, the Lesser Antilles, and in South America)
Malachite
(Range: throughout the West Indies; also from the southern US to the Amazon Basin)

The Malachite is a beautiful butterfly, having vivid green in large blotches and bands on a dark brown background. Usually a solitary flier, but it does congregate in numbers around rotting fruit. It is on the wing all year in the tropics.

Malachite

Genus MYSCELIA: About a dozen species of strongly sexually dimorphic butterflies, distributed from Mexico to Paraguay, and in Hispaniola in the West Indies.

Genus ANARTIA: 4 species found in the southern US to Central America, and in the West Indies. These are common butterflies of the tropics. They are swift fliers, and bear some resemblance to members of the CYNTHIA genus

Anartia amathea ______ DM SL SV (C:311)
Red Peacock (or Red Anartia)
(Range: in the West Indies throughout the Lesser Antilles, becoming more common southwards toward South America; occurs also from Panama to Argentina, and in Trinidad & Tobago)

The Red Peacock is a red-and-black butterfly with a sprinkling of white spots on the forewing. The red of the male is deep and vivid. The female has a brownish pallor.

Anartia jatrophae (ph) ______ BH CY(*) DM(*) DR(*) JM(*) PR(*) SL SV (C:309) (DV1:28) (K:209) (P:33)(PW:30) (S:107)
Anartia jatrophae jamaicensis ______ CY(*), JM(*) (subspecies in Jamaica & the Cayman Islands)
Anartia jatrophae jatrophae ______ SV (this subspecies of South America, in the Lesser Antilles as far north as St. Christopher)
White Peacock
(Range: the West Indies; also from the southern US thru Central & South America)

The White Peacock is a common butterfly of open country, roadsides, beaches and wasteland, often with other species such as the Buckeye. The upperside is a light gray with six black dots. This butterfly in the Caribbean is on the wing year-round.

White Peacock
Anartia chrysopelea ______ (PE:24)
Caribbean Peacock
(Range: a resident in Cuba, the Isle of Pines, & on Swan Island; in disturbed scrubland)
Anartia lytrea ______
(In the Dominican Republic)
Anartia chrysopelea ______ CU
Huebner's Anartia
(In Cuba)

Genus JUNONIA: BUCKEYES, a common name from the false eyes that are prominent on the wings. This is a widespread grouping, found in all of the global regions. The precise number of species is unknown, as there is yet more classifying to be done.

Junionia coenia (ph) ______ CU (PE:23)
Common Buckeye
(Range: Cuba and the Isle of Pines; also in the southeast US & in central California, and Mexico)

Common Buckeye
(photo by Doris Potter)

Junonia evarete ______ BD(*) BH CU CY(*) DM DR JM PR SL SV (DV1:28) (F:168) (K:207) (PE:23)
Mangrove Buckeye (in the West Indies, called Caribbean Buckeye) (Other names: Smoky Buckeye, Florida Buckeye, West Indian Buckeye)
(Range: the West Indies; also the southern US & thru the American tropics)

The Mangrove Buckeye is a common species with a fast flight, often settling on dry, open ground. The wing spots have pupils of violet.
Junonia genoveva ______ JM (PE:23)
Tropical Buckeye
(Range: the West Indies, in Jamaica; also throughout in the Americas from the southern US to Argentina)

The Tropical Buckeye is practically indistinguishable from Junonia evarete,

Genus VANESSA: LADY BUTTERFLIES: A widespread group of strong fliers, sometimes migratory, with bright oranges and reds.

Vanessa cardui (ph) ______ CU CY(rare) SV (PE:23)
Painted Lady
(Range: nearly everywhere in the world, except in Arctic conditions. See note below.)

The Painted Lady is said to be the world's most widely distributed butterfly, but in the New World it is known as a breeding resident only in the southwestern United States.
In the Caribbean, a small population is thought to exist in the mountains of Cuba, and the butterfly has occurred as a vagrant in Cayman Islands, as well as elsewhere in the West Indies, in Florida, and in South America.

Painted Lady
(photo by Howard Eskin)

Vanessa virginiensis (ph) ______ BH CU DR JM PR SL(vagrant) (DV1:28) (K:205) (PE:23)(PW:29)
American Painted Lady
(Range: the West Indies; also from southern Canada thru North America. In Central America in montane regions)

American Painted Lady
(photo by Doris Potter)

Genus HYPOLIMNAS: Commonly called DIADEM BUTTERFLIES, because of the row of spots around the wings which look like a necklace. Sexual dimorphism is exhibited, and females sometimes mimic DANAID butterflies. These butterflies are found in open sunny areas, villages, glades, and forest edges, and they frequent nectar feeders.

Hypolimnas misippus ______ DM (DV1:28) (F:164)
The Mimic (other names: Diadem Butterfly, Six-continent Butterfly, Danaid Butterfly)

The Mimic is one of the most widespread butterflies in the world, thanks in part to human history. It is thought to have been introduced into the West Indies in slave ships from Africa. The sexes are completely different, with the male looking like a male Hypolimnas bolina, but with white wing marks. The female has a number of forms with mimic various DANAIDS, resembling Danaus chrysippus of the Old World, with coloration similar to Danaus glippus, the Queen.

Genus PHYCIODES: CRESCENTS: North & South American butterflies which often have a speckled and variable pattern. Some species are sexually dimorphic. They live in open sunny meadows and pastures, and visit flowers regularly for nectar. A few species are migratory, but most are not.

Phyciodes frisia ______ (PE:21)
Cuban Crescent
(Range: the West Indies; also south Florida & the Fla. Keys)
Phyciodes phaon (ph) ______ CY(*) (PE:21)
Phaon Crescent (including the "Cayman Crescent Spot")
(Range: Cuba and the Cayman Islands; also in the southern US and south into Central America as far as Guatemala)

Phaon Crescent
(photo by Marie Gardner)

Subfamily HELICONIINAE: LONGWINGS
Mostly in the American tropics. Adults of some species are long-lived, and several are distasteful. Various other species mimic the distasteful butterflies of this group.

Genus DIONE: 4 species (depending upon taxonomy) in Central & South America, with one reaching into the southern US. Typically, they have orange uppers with stunning silver marks on the undersides of the wings. They breed on many species of passion flower, Passiflora. They exploit secondary vegetation, and their numbers increase dramatically in areas where there has been rainforest destruction.

Dione juno juno ______ SL SV (DV1:31) (S:161)
Silverspot (or Scarce Silver-spotted Flambeau)
(Range: the Lesser Antilles from Martinique southwards; also thru Central & South America)

The Silverspot, Dryas juno, is closely related to the more common Dryas iulia. The bright silver spots which give the butterfly its common name are on the underside. Often occurs in the same places as the very similar Gulf Fritillary. It is said to be attracted to red and blue flowers.

Agraulis (or Dione) vanillae (ph) ______ BD BH CU CY(*) DR(*) JM(*) PR SL SV (C:269) (DV1:31) (F:144) (K:157) (PE:19)(PW:23) (S:160)
Agraulis vanillae insularis ______ CY(*) DR(*) JM(*) (subspecies in the northern West Indies, from the Bahamas south to Dominica; including the Cayman Islands)
Agrualis vanillae vanillae _____ SV (subspecies from Saint Lucia, perhaps Martinique, south into South America as far south as Argentina)
Gulf Fritillary (another common name, Silver-spotted Flambeau)
(Range: the West Indies; also from the southern US thru American tropics to South America)

The Gulf Fritillary, or Silver-spotted Flambeau, is a widespread, familiar butterfly that visits gardens to drink nectar. It is a sun-loving butterfly. common along the coasts of Caribbean islands.
The upperside is fiery orange. It is distinguished from the Julia, or Flambeau, by the presence of numerous black dots on the forewing. It is silver-spotted on the underside.

Gulf Fritillary
(photo by Howard Eskin)

Genus DRYAS: A single migratory species represents this mostly Central & South American genus.

Dryas iulia (ph) ______ BD BH CU CY(*) DR(*) JM(*) PR(*) SL SV (C:301) (DV1:31) (F:145) (K:157) (PE:19)(PW:23) (S:159)
Dryas iulia zoe ______ CY(*) (subspecies in the Cayman Islands; described in 1992)
Dryas julia nudeola ______ CU (subspecies in Cuba)
Dryas iulia carteri ______ BH (subspecies in the Bahamas)
Dryas iulia framptoni ______ SV (subspecies
Julia Heliconian (or Julia) (in the Caribbean called The Flambeau)
(Range: the West Indies; also from the southern US thru American tropics to Brazil)

The uppersides of the elongated wings of the Julia Heliconian, or Flambeau, are orange, unmarked but for a conspicuous black blob or band in the cell area of the forewing. The undersides are a very pale brown with small white flashes. Different races include variation of the black band and other black markings on the upperside of the forewing.
This butterfly visits open sunny and flowery areas (often wet ground), and breeds on the passion flower.

No fewer than 10 subspecies of Dryas julia have been described in the Caribbean, with each endemic to a different island or island group.

The Julia, or Flambeau

Genus EUEIDES

Eueides isabella ______ (DV1:31) (K:155) (P:29)(PW:23) (S:159)
Isabella's Heliconian (or Isabella, or Isabella Tiger)
(Range: the West Indies; also from Mexico to the Amazon Basin)

Genus HELICONIUS: LONGWINGS: Found principally in Central & South America, reaching into the southern US. There are 15 species in Central America. The larvae feed on members of the passion flower family, Passifloraceae. The adults (the butterflies) are gregarious and have communal roosting spots. Adults feed on pollen, from which they derive amino acids, enabling them to live up to nine months. The butterflies stay very much in the same localities. They are very noticeable and found in all types of habitats.

Heliconius charitonius (ph) ______ CU CY(*) DR(*) JM(*) PR(*) (C:303) (DV1:32) (F:160) (K:155) (PE:19 & PEp:234)(PW:23) (S:160)
Heliconius charitonius ramsdemi ______ CY(*) (subspecies in Cuba, and probably the Cayman Islands)
Heliconius charitonius simulator ______ JM(*) (subspecies in Jamaica, and maybe the Cayman Islands)
Zebra Heliconian (or Zebra) (also called Zebra Longwing)
(Range: the West Indies, in: Cuba, Jamaica, the Caymans, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the Leeward Islands south to Montserrat, and on Andros Island in the Bahamas; also from the southern US thru Central & South America)

The Zebra Heliconian is a graceful butterfly and a common sight in gardens and at roadside flowers. Roosts in small to large clusters, with the adults returning to the same roost night after night. it is very familiar to visitors of butterfly houses as it is easy to rear.

Zebra Heliconian
(photo by Doug Johnson)

Genus EUPTOIETA

Euptoieta claudia (ph) ______ BH, CU, DR, JM (DV1:32) (K:157) (PE:3 & 20 & PEp:235)(PW:23)
Variegated Fritillary
(Range: the West Indies, in the highlands of Cuba and Jamaica; also Canada thru Central & South America)

Variegated Fritillary
(photo by Howard Eskin)

Euptoieta hegesia (ph) ______ BH, CU, CY, DR, JM, PR (DV1:32) (K:157) (P:29)(PW:23)
Euptoieta hegesia hegesia ______ CY (subspecies in the Cayman Islands)
Mexican Fritillary
(Range: the West Indies; also from the southern US thru Central America)

Mexican Fritillary

Subfamily ITHOMIIDAE: CLEARWINGS

An almost exclusively South American group, but 2 species fly in the Greater Antilles of the West Indies.

Genus GRETA
Greta diaphana ______ DR JM
Jamaican Clearwing
Greta cubana ______ CU
Cuban Clearwing
(Range: restricted to 3 mountainous areas in Cuba)

Greta cubana is a butterfly of dark mountain woods. The adult butterflies are particularly interesting in that males gather together in a lek, and females are attracted to that lek by pheromones produce by the males from chemicals obtained from plants in the family Boraginaceae.

Once, in July 2005, a Cuban Clearwing was seen on Grand Cayman. During that month, there had been 5 tropical storms in the area, including Hurricane Dennis that made landfall in southern and western Cuba. Anticlockwise wind circulation could have brought the normally Cuban endemic butterfly to Grand Cayman.

Subfamily DANAIDAE: MILKWEED BUTTERFLIES: Predominantly a tropical and subtropical group, referred to as TIGERS, in reference to their striking orange coloration with strong black strips. This pattern is an advertisement of a noxious element consisting of heart poisons (cardiac glycosides) accumulated from the food plants, milkweeds (asclepiadaceae & apocynaceae) by the larvae and stored by the adults.

Genus LYCOREA: a group of HELICONID MIMICS which have long wings, long bodies, and share similar patterns.

Lycorea cleobaea ______ CU DM DR JM PR SL SV (DV1:33) (F:176) (K:155) (PE:27) (S:187)
Tiger Mimic-Queen (or Large Tiger)
(Range: in the West Indies, in: Cuba, Hispaniola, & Puerto Rico; also Mexico to Peru. Common in the Greater Antilles; rare in the Lesser Antilles, occurring in wood and scrub habitats.)

The Tiger Mimic-Queen resembles Heliconius ethilla, but larger than the true heliconids. The male has a tuft of extrusible "hair-pencils" at the tip of the abdomen.

Genus DANAUS: ROYALTY: Known also as TIGER BUTTERFLIES. There are representatives in all geographical regions of the world. More species occur in the Old World, but one of the best known butterflies of the New World is D. plexippus, the Monarch. Larvae of this genus feed on members of the milkweed and dogbane families, and render themselves poisonous to predators by storing plant poisons. There are many other butterflies that mimic the toxic members of this genus.

Danaus plexippus (ph) ______ BH CU DM DR JM PR SL SV (PE:27)
Danaus plexippus plexippus ______ CY (the migratory subspecies of North America)
Danaus plexippus megalippe ______ CY (a non-migratory Caribbean subspecies)
Danaus plexippus leucogyne ______ SV
Monarch
(Range: the West Indies; also in North & Central America, and in most tropical American lowlands)

A number of islands in the West Indies now have distinctive local populations of the Monarch that have most often been treated by various authors as races or subspecies. Caribbean Monarchs are resident & do not migrate.

A Monarch
(photo by Howard Eskin)

Danaus eresimus ______ CU CY(*) DR JM SL SV (C:283) (DV1:33) (F:142) (K:229) (PE:27)
Danaus eresimus tethys ______ CY (subspecies in Cuba, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Grenada, and recently having colonized in the southern US)
Danaus eresimus eresimus ______ (the nominate subspecies, in South America)
Danaus eresimus montezuma ______ (subspecies in Mexico & Central America)
Soldier
(Range: in the Antilles; also from the southern US to the Amazon Basin)

The Soldier breeds on members of the poisonous Asclepiadaceae.) The ground color is dusky brown with a pronounced black margin around the wings, broader on the hindwing. The veins are black and there is considerable white speckling on the black areas.
The Soldier is very similar to the Queen, but has a series of very faint spots, only slightly paler than the ground color, on the underside of the hindwings.)
Danaus gilippus (ph) ______ BH CU CY DM DR JM PR SL SV
Danaus gilippus berenice ______ CY (subspecies in Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands)
Danaus gilippus jamaicensis ______ (subspecies in Jamaica, paler)
Danaus gilippus cleoyhera ______ (subspecies principally on Hispaniola, with the front half of the forewing darker than elsewhere on the upper surface)
Danaus gilippus xanthippus ______ SV(vagrant)
Queen
(Range: the West Indies; rare in the Lesser Antilles. Also in the extreme southern US and through American tropical lowlands)

A Queen
(photo by Howard Eskin)
Danaus cleophile ______ DR JM
Jamaican Monarch
(Range: Jamaica & Hispaniola)

The Jamaican Monarch looks like a small Monarch but has yellow spots on its wings instead of white ones.

Genus ANETIA: 4 species of large and strikingly-colored butterflies, 3 of which are confined to the West Indies. The other species, A. thirza, is confined to Central America.

Family SATYRIDAE: RINGLETS

SATYRIDAE is often considered a subfamily of NYMPHALIDAE. It is well represented in tropical regions.

In the West Indies, the only genus in SATYRIDAE is CALISTO.

Genus CALISTO: Typical of SATYRIDAE, mainly brown butterflies with small eye-spots. Their larvae feed on grasses.

CALISTO is remarkable for its radiation into 40 distinct species. This is centered on the Greater Antillean island of Hispaniola where no fewer than 35 species have evolved.
2 other species are found in Cuba and the Bahamas, and one each in Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Anegada in the British Virgin Islands.
Calisto herophile ______ BH CU
(Range: very common in Cuba & the Isle of Pines, and with a separate subspecies in the Bahamas.)

Calisto herophile is a relatively weak-flying, small and sedentary butterfly, as are others in the genus.
Calisto zangis ______ JM
Jamaican Calisto
(Range: Jamaica, endemic)
Calisto pulchella pulchella ______ DR(*)
Calisto pulchella darlingtoni ______ DR(*) (subspecies in the montane region of Cordillera Central)
Sugar-cane Calisto
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic)
Calisto nubila ______ PR
Puerto Rican Calisto
(Range: Puerto Rico, endemic)
Calisto anagadensis ______
Anegada Calisto
(Range: Anegada in the British Virgin Islands)
Calisto archebates ______ DR(*)
Yellow-banded Calisto
(Range; Hispaniola, endemic; in Haiti & in the Dominican Republic in the western montane Sierra de Baoruco)
Calisto chrysaoros ______ DR(*)
White-banded Calisto
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic; in Haiti & in the Dominican Republic in the montane Sierra de Baoruco)
Calisto galii galii ______ DR (subspecies in the montane Cordillera Central)
Calisto galii choneupsilon ______ DR (subspecies in the montane Sierra de Neiba)
Gali's Calisto
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic)
Calisto wetherbeei ______ DR
Wetherbee's Calisto
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic; in the montane Cordillera Central)
Calisto loxias ______ DR
Dark Calisto
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic; near Las Abejas)
Calisto arcas ______ DR
Tawny-washed Calisto
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic; area of Pico Duarte in the Cordillera Central)
Calisto confusa ______ DR(*)
Confused Calisto
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic; widespread)
Calisto gonzalezi ______ DR
Gonzalez's Calisto
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic; Sierra de Yamasa, north of Santo Domingo)
Calisto obscura ______ DR
Obscure Calisto
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic; widespread)
Calisto lyceius ______ DR
Saona Calisto
(Range: only the Hispaniolan offshore islands of Saona & Catalina)
Calisto crypta ______ DR
Crytic Calisto
(Range: Hispaniola, endemic; near Monte Cristi)

Family HESPERIIDAE: SKIPPERS
A very large family (more than 3,500 species throughout the world) of stout-bodied short-winged butterflies that resemble day-flying moths. The adult butterfly's flight resembles a 'skipping' motion when going from flower to flower. Their forewings are closed above their back when they are settled.

Subfamily PYRGINAE: Open-winged Skippers

Genus PHOCIDES

Phocides pigmalion ______ BH CU CY(*) DR (K:267) (PE:30)
Phocides pigmalion batabano (subspecies in the Bahamas, Cuba & the Isle of Pines, and Little Cayman Island)
Phocides pigmalion bicolora (subspecies on Hispaniola)
Mangrove Skipper
(Range: in the West Indies in the Bahamas, Cuba & the Isle of Pines, Little Cayman Island, Hispaniola, and formerly Puerto Rico; also Florida & from Mexico to Argentina)

The subspecies batabano & bicolora appear strikingly different. Batabano resembles the forms in Florida & the Bahamas.

In the Cayman Islands, Phocide pigmalion has only been found on Little Cayman.

In Puerto Rico, Phocides pigmalion is now probably extinct.

Genus PROTEIDES

Proteides mercurius ______ DM (K:273) (PE:30)
Proteides mercurius vincenti ______ SV
Proteides mercurius grenadensis ______ (subspecies on Grenada)
Mercury Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also Mexico to Argentina. Strays north to southern US.)

Genus EPARGYREUS: Silver-spotted Skippers
Epargyreus zestos ______ DM SV (PE:30)
Zestos Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also South Florida & the Fla. Keys)

Genus POLYGONUS

Polygonus leo ______ DM (K:267) (PE:30)
Hammock Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also Florida & from Mexico to Argentina)

Polygonus manueli ______ DM (PE:text)
Polygonus manuei punctus ______ SV
Manuel's Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also from Mexico to Argentina)

Genus CHIOIDES

Chioides catillus ______ (C:377) (K:271) (P:39)
White-striped Longtail
(Range: the West Indies: Jamaica; also from south Texas to Argentina)
Chiodes vintra ______ SV

Genus AGUNA

Aguna asander ______ (K:273) (PE:30)
Gold-spotted Aguna
(Range: the West Indies; also from Mexico to Argentina)

Genus POLYTHRIX

Polythrix octomaculata ______ (K:271) (P:39)
Eight-spotted Longtail (or Polythrix)
(Range in the West Indies: Haiti; also from Mexico to Argentina)

Genus URBANUS: LONG-TAILED SKIPPERS

Urbanus proteus domingo ______ BD BH CU CY(*) DM DR(*) JM(*) PR SL SV (K:269) (PE:30) (S:36)
(the subspecies throughout the West Indies, including the Bahamas)
Common Long-tailed Skipper
(Range: throughout the West Indies; also Florida & south Texas to Argentina)

Urbanus proteus is common throughout the West Indies. It has the basic brown coloration of the family with irridescent green hair scales on the body and base of the hindwing.

In the Cayman Islands, Urbanus proteus has been observed on Grand Cayman & Cayman Brac.

Urbanus dorantes ______ BH CU CY DR PR (K:269) (PE:30)
Urbanes dorantes santiago ______ (subspecies in the Bahamas, Cuba & the Isle of Pines, and infrequently on Grand Cayman Is.)
Urbanes dorantes cramptoni ______ (subspecies on Hispaniola & further east in the Caribbean; possible on Grand Cayman Is. - see note below)
Dorantes Longtail (or Skipper) (another name is Brown-tailed Skipper)
(Range: in the West Indies in the Bahamas, Cuba, Grand Cayman, Hispaniola, Mona Island, Puerto Rico, and east into the Virgin Islands; also Florida & from south Texas to Argentina)

The Dorantes Longtail (or Skipper) was only recently discovered in the Cayman Islands in November 1985 (prior to being depicted in a set of Cayman stamps issued in 1994). In 1985, the subspecies there was said to U. d. cramptoni, but others found on Grand Cayman since have been ascribed to U. d. santiago. .
Urbanus obscurus ______ DM SV
Stub-tailed Skipper
(Range: the Lesser Antilles, endemic to those islands)
Urbanus teleus ______ SV

Genus ASTRAPTES: FLASHERS

Astraptes alardus ______ (K:279) (PE:text)
Frosted (or White) Flasher
(Range: the West Indies: Cuba; also Mexico to Argentina, & rarely north to southern Texas)
Astraptes anaphus ______ DM (PE:text)
Astraptes anaphus anausis ______ SV
Yellow-tipped Flasher (another name is Roy's Skipper)
(Range: the West Indies; also from Mexico to Argentina)

Genus CABARES

Cabares potrillo ______ (K:277) (PE:31)
Potrillo Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also from south Texas to Colombia)

Genus ACHLYODES
Achlyodes tamenund ______ CU DR JM PR (K:xxx) (PE:31)
Sickle-winged Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also from south Texas to Argentina)
Achlyodes mithridates ______ DM
Jung's Duskywing

Genus TIMOCHARES
Timochares ruptifaciata ______ (PE:32)
Brown-banded Skipper
(Range: the West Indies: Jamaica; also south Texas & Mexico)

Genus CHIOMARA
Chiomara asychis ______ (K:295) (PE:32)
Chiomara asychis vincenta ______ SV
Chiomara asychis grenada ______ (subspecies on Grenada & in the Grenadines)
White-patched (or Asychis) Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also from south Texas to Argentina)

Genus GESTA
Gesta invisus ______ (K:287) (PE:32)
False Dusky Wing
(Range: the West Indies; also from south Texas to Argentina)

The False Dusky Wing was formerly in the genus ERYNNIS, the true duskywings.

Genus EPHYRIADES
Ephyriades brunneus ______ (K:287) (PE:32)
Florida Dusky Wing
(Range: the West Indies & south Florida, but strays to Honduras)
Ephyriades arcas ______ DM
Hairy Duskywing
Ephyriades brunnea ______ DM
Jamaican Duskywing

Genus ERYNNIS: True Duskywings
Erynnis zarucco ______ (PE:32)
Zarucco Duskywing
(Range: the West Indies: Cuba & Hispaniola; also in the southeast US)

Genus PYRGUS: Checkered-Skippers
Pyrgus oileus ______ CU DM (PE:33)
Tropical Checkered Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also Florida & south Texas to Argentina)

Pyrgus oileus is one of the dominant butterflies in Cuba and the Isle of Pines, abundant in gardens, along roadsides, and in other open situations.
Pyrgus orcus ______ SV

Subfamily HESPERIINAE: BRANDED SKIPPERS
A group comprised of more than 2,000 species worldwide.

Genus SYNAPTE
Synapte malitiosa ______ (K:309) (PE:33)
Malicious (Shady) Skipper
(Range: the West Indies: Cuba; also from far-southern Texas to southern Brazil & Paraguay)

Genus CYMAENES
Cymaenes tripunctus tripunctus ______ (K:309) (PE:34) (subspecies in the West Indies)
Three-spotted Skipper (another name is Dingy Dotted Skipper)
(Range: in the West Indies, in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles & associated islands east to the Virgin Islands; also in south Florida and from central Mexico to Paraguay)

In the Cayman Islands, Cymaenes tripunctus has been found on Grand Cayman & Cayman Brac.

The common name, Three-spotted Skipper, is also had by the unrelated North American skipper, Oligoria maculata.

Genus PERICHARES
Perichares philetes ______ (K:357) (PE:text)
Green-backed Ruby-eye (or Skipper)
(Range: the West Indies; also from north Mexico to Paraguay, & strays to far-southern Texas)

Genus RHINTHON
Rhinthon osca ______ (PE:text)
Osca Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also from north Mexico to Ecuador & periodically strays to far-southern Texas)

Genus HYLEPHILA
Hylephila phyleus phyleus ______ CY DM SV (PE:35) (subspecies in the West Indies)
Fiery Skipper
(Range: throughout the West Indies: also from the central & eastern US to Argentina)

In the Cayman Islands, Hylephila phyleus has been found on Grand Cayman & Cayman Brac.

The sexes of Hylephila phyleus, the Fiery Skipper, are quite differently patterned.

Genus ATALOPEDES
Atalopedes mesogramma ______ CY
Atalopedes mesogramma mesogramma ______ CY (subspecies in the Bahamas, Cuba, and uncommonly in the Caymans)
Atalopedes mesogramma apa ______ (subspecies in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico; smaller & brighter than A. m. mesogramma)
Striped Skipper
(Range: in the West Indies, in the Bahamas, Cuba, where it is widespread & common, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico; also on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico)

Atalopedes mesogramma, the Striped Skipper, is the most recent addition to the list of butterflies in the Cayman Islands. The first sighting in the Caymans was on Little Cayman Island in December 2007. It was a female. Since then, both female & male were found on Cayman Brac in January 2008. . .

Genus POLITES
Polites baracoa ______ (PE:36)
Baracoa Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also parts of Florida & adjacent south Georgia & south Alabama)
Polites vibex ______ (K:303) (PE:35)
Whirlabout
(Range: the West Indies; also from the southeast US to Argentina)
Polites dictynna ______ DM SV
Lesser Whirlabout
(Range: the Lesser Antilles, endemic to those islands)

Genus ASBOLIS
Asbolis caprucinus ______ BH CU CY(rare) (PE:38)
Monk Skipper
(Range: locally in the West Indies; and now parts of Florida & the Fla. Keys. It was introduced from the West Indies into south Florida in 1947.)

Asbolis caprucinus, known as the Monk, or Monk Skipper, has a limited distribution. It was known only to be in Cuba and the Isle of Pines until the 1947 colonizing in Florida.
In 1981, it appeared in the Bahamas, on New Providence Island.
It was first found on Grand Cayman in 2002. Now it is said to be rare but widespread on Grand Cayman, the only island where it has been found in the Caymans.

Asbolis caprucinus butterflies are very wary and they fly quickly.

Genus WALLENGRENIA
Wallengrenia otho ______ (K:327) (PE:36)
(Southern) Broken Dash
(Range: the West Indies; also from southeast US to Argentina)
Wallengrenia ophites ______ DM SV
(Lesser Antillean) Broken Dash
(Range: the Lesser Antilles, endemic to those islands)

Genus LERODEA
Lerodea eufala ______ (K:353) (PE:39)
Eufala Skipper
(Range: the West Indies: Cuba; also from the southern US to southern Argentina)

Genus CALPODES
Calpodes ethlius ______ BD BH CU CY DM DR JM PR SL SV   (K:357) (PE:39) (S:44)
Canna Skipper (also called the Brazilian Skipper)
(Range: the West Indies; also from the southern US to Argentina)

In the West Indies, Calpodes ethius, the Canna (or Brazilian) Skipper, occurs throughout, with the apparent exception of the Virgin Islands. It is common in gardens where Cannas are grown, on which the larva feeds Canna Lilies are ornamentals. Calpodes ethius is a highly dispersive insect.

Genus PANOQUINA

Panoquina lucas ______ CY
Panoquina lucas lucas ______ (subspecies in mainland America & in Cuba and the Caymans)
Panoquina lucas woodruffi ______ (subspecies in Jamaica, Hispaniola, and other West Indian islands; other than Cuba & Grand Cayman)
Sugar Cane Skipper
(Range: throughout the West Indies, except the Bahamas; also from Texas south to Argentina)

The wing shape of Panoquina lucas, the Suger Cane Skipper, is similar to that of Calpodes ethlius, the Canna Skipper. But Panoquina lucas is smaller and with less white marking than Calpodes ethius.

Panoquina lucas has been mistakenly cataloged in the Caymans as Panoquina sylvicola.

In the Cayman Islands, Panoquina lucas occurs only on Grand Canyon, where it flies almost anywhere, but tends to avoid dense woodland and mangroves.

Panoquina panoquinoides ______ CY (K:355) (PE:39)
Panoquina panoquinoides panoquinoides ______ (subspecies in the Florida Keys and in the West Indies south to Saint Lucia)
Panoquina panoquinoides eugeon ______ SV (subspecies in the West Indies in the Grenadines and Grenada)
Obscure Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also from the southern US to Peru)

Panoquina panoquinoides is unrecorded in an number of the Lesser Antillean islands. Where it does occur, it does so sometimes erratically.

In the Cayman Islands, Panoquina panoquinoides has at times been common, while at other times, rare. Recently, it seems to have disappeared on Grand Cayman.

Panoquina ocola ______ (K:355) (PE:39)
Ocola Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also from the southern US to Paraguay)

Panoquina ocola is a white-spotted, brown skipper similar to Panoquina lucas, but smaller. Panoquina ocola is easily overlooked.

Panoquina sylvicola ______ DM (K:357) (PE:39)
Panoquina sylvicola woodruffi ______ SV
Purple-washed (or Sylvicola) Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also from north Mexico to Argentina & a regular stray to south Texas)

Panoquina fusina ______ (K:357) (PEp:402)
Evans' Skipper
(Range: the West Indies in Jamaica; also from central Mexico to Paraguay & a periodic stray to far-southern Texas)

Genus NYCTELIUS

Nyctelius nyctelius ______ DM SV (K:357) (PE:39)
Violet-banded (or Nyctelius) Skipper
(Range: the West Indies; also from Mexico to Argentina & a periodic stray to south Texas)

Nyctelius nyctelius is found throughout the West Indies other than in the Bahamas and the Caymans.
It resembles Panoquina lucas but its hindwing under surface is unspotted and marbled lilac.

Some Notable Moths in the West Indies of the Caribbean
Urania fulgens (in the family URANIIDAE) (ph) ______ CY
Green Urania (or Urania Swallowtail Moth)

Urania fulgens is undoubtedly the most spectacular of the day-flying moths in the Cayman Islands. it could be misidentified as a swallowtail butterfly, but its wing pattern is unlike any West Indian swallowtail.

Urania fulgens is not a resident in the Caymans, but it occurs there at times, probably blown off course during its migration in Central America.

A Urania Swallowtail Moth photographed during a FONT Tour
in Costa Rica
(photo by Rosemary Lloyd)
Urania boisduvalii (in the family URANIIDAE) ______ CU
Ascalapha odorata (in the family NOCTUIDAE) (ph) ______ CY
the Black Witch (or Duppy Bat)

Ascalapha odorata is a huge moth, with a wing span of about 150mm. It is not brightly patterned, being mostly various shades of brown with dark bands and lines. It sometimes flies in the day, but mostly at night. At a distance, a day-flying Black Witch could be mistaken for a Gold Rim Swallowtail.

A Black Witch
(photo courtesy of David MacDonald)
Composia fidelissima (in the family ARCTIIDAE) ______ CY
the Faithful Beauty
(Range: the West Indies; also the southern United States, Central America, and much of South America)

When seen flying at a distance, Composia fidelissima could be mistaken for the Atala Hairstreak butterfly.
Syntomeida epilais (in the family ARCTIIDAE) ______ CY
the Polkadot

Syntomeida epilais is a blue-black moth spotted with white.
Empyreuma affinis (in the family ARCTIIDAE) ______ CY

The wings of Empyreuma affinis are red. The forewing has a bluish tint on the veins and outer margin.
Utetheisa ornatrix bella (in the family ARCTIIDAE) ______ CY (sometimes treated as a full species)
the Bella Moth

Utetheisa ornatrix bella is the New World counterpart of Utetheisa pulchella, the Crimson Speckled Footman.

The forewing of Utetheisa ornatrix bella is yellowish white with irregular, transverse white bands, each enclosing a line of small black spots, and the hindwing is pink with marginal black marks.
Aellopos tantalus (in the family SPHINGIDAE) ______ CY
Tantalus Sphinx Moth (or Tantalus Hummingbird Hawkmoth)

Similar to a small hummingbird, Aellopos tantalus is a mostly brown-winged moth with a conspicuous silvery white band on the dorsal surface of its lower back. The moth hovers, like a hummingbird, with its wings a blur as it probes for nectar with its long proboscis.
Pseudosphinx tetrio (in the family SPHINGIDAE) ______ CY
Tetrio Sphinx Moth

The caterpillar of Pseudosphinx tetrio is large, with a distinctive yellow and black body and a red head. These caterpillars are commonly seen feeding on Wild Jasmine Trees, Plumeria obtusa, and they can strip the tree bare of leaves in just a matter of days. The caterpillar's feeding does not cause any damage as the tree soon leafs out again.
Eumorpha labruscae (in the family SPHINGIDAE) (ph) ______ (species described by Linnaeus in 1758)
Gaudy Sphinx Moth

Eumorpha labruscae can grow up to the size of a human hand. This migrating moth is commonly found in the West Indies and in Central and South America. It occasionally occurs in the United States and as far north as Canada.

It is known as the Gaudy Sphinx Moth due to its remarkable markings and the amazing array of colors on its wings.
It has a combination of green, blue, red, and yellow on the wings which explains the flamboyant common name.

Above & below: Two photographs of a Gaudy Sphinx Moth,
below with the colorful wings open
(photos by Helene Kyrk, in the West Indies )
Melanchroia chephise (in the family GEOMETRIDAE) ______ CY
White-tipped Black

Melanchroia chephise is a small black moth with narrow white wingtips. In the Cayman Islands, its looper caterpillars are plentiful on Phyllanthus angustifolius, the Duppy Bush.

Some selected reference books regarding Butterflies & Moths of the Caribbean
(in addition to those noted at the beginning of the list):

"Butterflies of the Caribbean & Florida", by Peter D. Stiling

"Butterflies & Other Insects of the Eastern Caribbean", by Peter D. Stiling

"Butterflies of the Cayman Islands", by R.R. Askew & P.A. van B. Stafford (an excellent, informative book, published in 2008)

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