Bug FAQDorantes Longtail
Urbanus dorantes · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Hesperiidae
Also called: Lilac-banded longtail, Brown Tailed Skipper
Source: Wikipedia
The butterfly has a wingspan of about 37 to 51 mm. It lives from Argentina through Central America, Mexico, the West Indies, and reaches the southern United States in Texas and Florida. Larvae eat various legumes such as beans, while adults sip nectar from many flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 37 mm to 51 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found from Argentina northward through Central America, Mexico, the West Indies, and into southern Texas and peninsular Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on a variety of legumes, including wild and cultivated beans, Desmodium, and blue peas.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In southern Florida and southern Texas there are three to four generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes Argentina, Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the southern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 13 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arkansas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants do the caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed on legumes such as beans, Desmodium, and blue peas.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations are produced each year?
In southern Florida and southern Texas there are three to four generations annually.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is Dorantes Longtail found?
It occurs from Argentina through Central America, Mexico, the West Indies, and reaches southern Texas and peninsular Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Hesperiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecropterus_dorantes
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.