Mexican Bluewing
Myscelia ethusa (Doyère, [1840])
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Biblidinae
Identification: Forewing apex is truncated. Upperside is black with iridescent blue bands; outer half of forewing has white spots.
Wing Span: 2 1/2 - 3 inches (6.4 - 7.6 cm).
Life History: Young caterpillars make a resting perch by attaching dung pellets and silk to a leaf vein. The adults rest on tree trunks with wings closed, exposing their undersides which look like bark.
Flight: Many flights throughout the year in South Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: In the tropics, Dalechampia in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae).
Adult Food: Rotting fruit.
Habitat: Stream valleys with dry scrub or scattered tropical forest.
Range: Colombia north through Central America to Mexico. Periodically strays and lives in the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas.
Conservation: Conserve remaining Tamaulipan brushland habitats in the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas.
NCGR: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Expand the lower Rio Grande Valley refuge complex. Protect existing habitats on refuges.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 58 of 58 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 16, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Mike Overton, Paul Opler)
Region: Tamaulipas, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Mike Overton)
Verified date: Oct 01, 2007
Observation date: Jan 06, 2002
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (North American Butterfly Association (NABA) of South Texas))
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (North American Butterfly Association (NABA) of South Texas))
Verified date: Jan 29, 2007
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Nuevo Leon, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Texas, Lynn County, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Cameron County, Texas, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Tamaulipas, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Texas, Starr County, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Texas, Kenedy County, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Sinaloa, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Brewster County, Texas, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
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