Butterflies and Moths of Padre Island National Seashore

A queen butterfly feeds on a Padre Island mistflower. This plant is a major nectar source for many pollinators on Padre Island.

Photo courtesy of Marian McNabb

Butterflies

The butterfly checklist below is current as of May 30, 2003 with 3 newly discovered species listed as numbers 40-42. Several species have been identified as new county records for Kleberg and Kenedy counties. Except as noted, each of the following butterfly species has been field identified and the park’s Resource Management division has a male and female of each species in its collection. Because field identification is sometimes difficult, a second source is verifying the identity of each species. Once the park’s butterfly study has been completed, a digital field guide of Padre Island butterflies will be available to the public. Note that the name of the park’s most common Buckeye (J. evarete) has been changed from Mangrove Buckeye (genoveva) to Tropical Buckeye (evarete) due to recent corrections in the taxonomic literature.

1. Chioides albofasciatus–White-striped Longtail
2. Urbanus proteus- Common Longtail
3. Urbanus dorantes–Dorantes Longtail
4. Urbanus procne–Brown Longtail
5. Pholisora catullus–Common Sootywing
6. Erynnis horatius- Horaces Duskywing
7. Erynnis tristis tatius–Mournful Duskywing
8. Erynnis funeralis–Funereal Duskywing
9. Eantis tamemund–Sickle-winged Skipper
10. Pyrgus communis–Checkered Skipper
11. Heliopetes macaira–Turk's Cap White-skipper
12. Heliopetes laviana–Laviana White-skipper
13. Copaeodes minimus–Southern Skipperling
14. Panoquina panaquinoides- Obscure Skipper
15. Panoquina ocola- Ocola Skipper
16. Amblyscirtes celia- Celia's Roadside Skipper
17. Lerodea eufala- Eufala Skipper
18. Lerema accias–Clouded Skipper
19. Hylephila phyleus- Fiery Skipper
20. Polites vibex praeceps–South Texas Whirlabout
21. Wallengrenia otho clavus- Tropical Broken Dash
22. Battus philenor- Pipevine Swallowtail
23. Papilio polyxenes–Black Swallowtail
24. Heraclides cresphontes- Giant Swallowtail
25. Kricogonia lyside–Lyside Sulphur
26. Nathalis iole- Dainty Sulfur
27. Abaeis nicippe–Sleepy Orange
28. Pyrisitia lisa centralis–Little Yellow
29. Colias eurytheme- Orange Sulfur
30. Zerene cesonia- Southern Dogface
31. Phoebis sennae–Cloudless Sulfur
32. Phoebis sennae marcellina(winter form) Marcellina Cloudless
33. Phoebis agarithe- Large Orange Sulfur
34. Pontia protodice- Checkered White
35. Ascia monuste- Great Southern White
36. Ministrymon clytie–Clytie Ministreak
37. Calycopis isobeon–Dusky Blue Groundstreak
38. Strymon melinus–Gray Hairstreak
39. Strymon rufofusca–Red Crescent Scrub Hairstreak
40. Strymon istapa- Istapa Hairstreak
41. Leptotes cassius- Cassius Blue
42. Leptotes marina- Marine Blue
43. Brephidium exilis–W. Pygmy Blue
44. Hemiargus ceraunus astenidas–Ceraunus Blue
45. Echinargus isola- Reakirts Blue
46. Libytheana carinenta larvata–Texas Snout
47. Libytheana carinenta mexicana–Mexican Snout
48. Danaus plexippus- Monarch
49. Danaus eresimus montezuma–Soldier
50. Danaus gilippus- Queen
51. Agraulis vanillae incarnata–Western Gulf Fritillary
52. Euptoitea claudia- Variegated Fritillary
53. Mestra amymone–Common Mestra
54. Vanessa virginiensis- American Lady
55. Vanessa cardui- Painted Lady
56. Anartia jatrophae luteipicta–White Peacock
57. Junonia evarete–Tropical Buckeye
58. Junonia evarete nigrosuffusa–Dark Tropical Buckeye
59. Junonia genoveva–Mangrove Buckeye
60. Junonia coenia–Common Buckeye
61. Chlosyne lacinia ajutrix–Bordered Patch
62. Phyciodes phaon- Phaon Crescent
63. Phyciodes tharos- Pearl Crescent
64. Anaea aidea–Tropical Leafwing

Source: C. Sassine –Division of Science and Resources Management

Moths

1. Datana diffidens
2. Ascalapha odorata–Black Witch
3. Thysania zenobia–Owl Moth
4. Sphingicampa heiligbrodti–Honey Mesquite Moth
5. Hyles lineata–White-lined Sphinx
6. Manduca quinquemaculata–Five-spotted Hawkmoth
7. Manduca sexta–Carolina Sphinx
8. Eumorpha fasciatus–Banded Sphinx Moth
9. Xylophanes tersa–Tersa Sphinx Moth
10. Errinyis ello–Ello Sphinx
11. Agrias cingulata–Pink-spotted Hawkmoth
12. Aellopos clavipes–Clavipes Sphinx
13. Estigmene acrea–Salt Marsh Moth
14. Melanchroia chephise–White-tipped Black Moth
15. Prionoxystus robiniae–Carpenter Moth
16. Utetheisa ornatrix–Bella Moth
17. Horama panthalon–Texas Wasp Moth

Source: C. Sassine –Division of Science and Resources Management

For more information on butterflies and moths in south Texas, please follow either of the two links below:

University of Texas

Butterflies and Moths.org