Long-tailed Skipper
Urbanus proteus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Tails are long. Upperside is dark blackish brown; body and wing bases are iridescent blue-green. Males have a costal fold enclosing scent scales on the leading edge of the forewing. Dark row on underside of hindwing is a complete band.
Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 2 5/16 inches (4.5 - 6 cm).
Life History: Adults roost upside down under leaves and limbs. To seek females, males perch 3-6 feet above the ground in sunlit openings. Females lay eggs under leaves in clusters of up to 20. Caterpillars feed on leaves and live in shelters of rolled leaves.
Flight: Two to three broods throughout the year in south Florida and South Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: Vine legumes including various beans (Phaseolus), hog peanuts (Amphicarpa bracteata), beggar's ticks (Desmodium), blue peas (Clitoria), and wisteria (Wisteria).
Adult Food: Flower nectar from a variety of plants including bougainvillea, lantana, and shepherd's needle.
Habitat: Brushy fields, edges of woods, gardens, and other disturbed open habitats.
Range: Argentina north through Central America, the West Indies, and Mexico to peninsular Florida and South Texas. Occasionally strays and colonizes north to Connecticut, southern Illinois, eastern Kansas, southern Arizona, and southern California.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Urbanus proteus caterpillars are sometimes pests on snap beans.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 97 - 120 of 1989 verified sightings
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/butterfly_sp_02-15-2014_bacalar_qro_mex_-250.jpg?itok=v9hHMPwp)
Observation date: Feb 15, 2014
Submitted by: janazak
Region: Quintana Roo, Mexico
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_9838_urbanus_proteus_proteus_longtail.jpg?itok=ki9o9__S)
Observation date: Feb 15, 2016
Submitted by: BeaLaporte
Region: Yucatan, Mexico
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20220910_125529.jpg?itok=7fEtRtwx)
Observation date: Sep 10, 2022
Submitted by: louisianashorty
Region: St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 15, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/2015_03_back_walk_lep_hunt_with_martin_reith_4_llj.jpg?itok=YZ7V4BbW)
Observation date: Mar 16, 2015
Submitted by: LLJohnson
Region: Dominican Republic
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/597cf68a-3ff1-4ea8-90cb-504dff37091a.jpeg?itok=DJnl4PH0)
Observation date: Sep 04, 2022
Submitted by: Ashwnota
Region: Washington County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 11, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc_0155_2-denoiseai-standard.jpg?itok=RFH77bDC)
Observation date: Sep 03, 2022
Submitted by: Chip Gilbert
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 10, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/pxl_20220828_142726423.mp_.jpg?itok=cg5RNpUk)
Observation date: Aug 28, 2022
Submitted by: Phtm35
Region: Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 03, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dorantes_longtail_thorybes_dorantes_dorantes_tx_hidalgo_county_-_nbc_nov_7_2019.jpg?itok=4SrMUzA7)
Observation date: Nov 07, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 02, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20210927_103124.jpg?itok=SHTcYft2)
Observation date: Sep 27, 2021
Submitted by: hfna16
Region: Galveston County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 01, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc_7994_0.jpg?itok=7EX80Hcl)
Observation date: Aug 24, 2022
Submitted by: David Lee
Region: Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 25, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20220824_124224.jpg?itok=CrlWIXEh)
Observation date: Aug 24, 2022
Submitted by: Meowkiss
Region: Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 25, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc06330_lt_skipper_08-19-2022_772_swainson.jpg?itok=rwSzL1Gr)
Observation date: Aug 19, 2022
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 23, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/pinckney_island_nwr_081917-3133-edit.jpg?itok=ZViBdBsJ)
Observation date: Aug 19, 2017
Submitted by: dbryant562
Region: Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 23, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/long-tailed_skipper_-_yuchi_wma.jpg?itok=rKwwDIxJ)
Observation date: Aug 19, 2016
Submitted by: Debo Boddiford
Region: Burke County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 13, 2022
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Observation date: Aug 09, 2022
Submitted by: JimBarnhart
Region: Citrus County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 10, 2022
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Observation date: Aug 08, 2022
Submitted by: Olive C
Region: Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 10, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/161_skipper.jpg?itok=tJunuiXy)
Observation date: Apr 16, 2010
Submitted by: mrcnaturally
Region: Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 04, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/long-tailed_skipper_-_treutlen_co_ga_-_i-16_chevron_-_10-8-2019.jpg?itok=V6eCDmg3)
Observation date: Oct 08, 2019
Submitted by: Debo Boddiford
Region: Georgia, Treutlen County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 04, 2022
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Observation date: Aug 01, 2022
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 03, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20170720_145052.jpg?itok=zdGalk8-)
Observation date: Jul 20, 2017
Submitted by: thedrw
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jul 26, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/urbanus_proteus_on_bidens_alba.jpg?itok=jC7RSZSF)
Observation date: Feb 04, 2022
Submitted by: naj.pilla
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 17, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/5d80d36b-c0b7-4767-9543-f2c66208734b.jpeg?itok=88hTT6FG)
Observation date: Jul 09, 2022
Submitted by: Icakalic
Region: Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 10, 2022
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Observation date: Jun 06, 2022
Submitted by: Brian Ahern
Region: Pasco County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 07, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/hatchlings_2020.jpg?itok=bP79u6DM)
Observation date: Sep 14, 2020
Submitted by: Traveling_gopher
Region: Loudon County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 29, 2022
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