Ruddy Daggerwing
Marpesia petreus (Cramer, 1776)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Cyrestinae
Tribe: Cyrestini
Identification: Tip of forewing is elongated. Hindwing has long dagger-like tails. Upperside is orange with 3 thin black lines. Underside is mottled brown and black, resembling a dead leaf.
Wing Span: 2 3/4 - 3 3/4 inches (7 - 9.5 cm).
Life History: To watch for females, males perch 15-30 feet above ground on sunlit trees.
Flight: Most of the year in Florida, but are most common from May-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Common fig (Ficus carica) and wild banyan tree (F. citrifolia) in the fig family (Moraceae).
Adult Food: Nectar from giant milkweed in Florida; Cordia, Casearia, Lantana, and Mikania in the tropics.
Habitat: Tropical lowland forests and edges; hardwood hammocks.
Range: Brazil north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to southern Florida. Strays north to Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, and South Texas.
Conservation: Not of conservation concern in Florida.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 195 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 25, 2020
Submitted by: Mike_56
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 06, 2020
Observation date: Jun 20, 2020
Submitted by: eroutside
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 20, 2020
Observation date: May 22, 2020
Submitted by: CharlieDelray
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 23, 2020
Observation date: May 14, 2020
Submitted by: KDiederich697
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 16, 2020
Observation date: Apr 09, 2020
Submitted by: therapypetz
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 11, 2020
Observation date: Feb 17, 2020
Submitted by: Argyle
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Feb 18, 2020
Observation date: Nov 11, 2019
Submitted by: Craig M Lipski
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 13, 2019
Observation date: Sep 21, 2019
Submitted by: Kmoore
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 22, 2019
Observation date: May 13, 2018
Submitted by: MaynorOvando
Region: Suchitepéquez, Guatemala
Verified by: Doug Taron
Verified date: Sep 18, 2019
Observation date: Aug 29, 2019
Submitted by: Wwetmore
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 30, 2019
Observation date: Aug 23, 2019
Submitted by: janetfb
Region: Bandera County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 25, 2019
Observation date: Apr 08, 2019
Submitted by: kellydfl
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 19, 2019
Observation date: Mar 16, 2019
Submitted by: twcrowe
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 21, 2019
Observation date: Jan 21, 2019
Submitted by: MarcyG333
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 22, 2019
Observation date: Dec 24, 2018
Submitted by: dbrudin
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 07, 2019
Observation date: Dec 13, 2018
Submitted by: storolaf
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 14, 2018
Observation date: Nov 04, 2018
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 16, 2018
Observation date: Oct 23, 2018
Submitted by: egorman12
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 24, 2018
Observation date: Aug 24, 2018
Submitted by: nantucket
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 27, 2018
Observation date: Aug 18, 2018
Submitted by: sstatner
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 21, 2018
Observation date: Jul 25, 2018
Submitted by: HPL
Region: Texas, Kleberg County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 04, 2018
Observation date: Jul 20, 2018
Submitted by: Rrsvargas
Region: Cameron County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 22, 2018
Observation date: Jul 08, 2018
Submitted by: jodylin
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 08, 2018
Observation date: Jul 01, 2018
Submitted by: massnick
Region: Martin County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 03, 2018
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