Butterflies and Moths of Padre Island National Seashore

A queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) feeds on a Padre Island mistflower (Conoclinium betonicifolium). This plant is a major nectar source for many pollinators on Padre Island.
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

Last updated: March 6, 2018

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Phone:

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