Diet

• Adults feed on flower nectar and visit a variety of small flowering plants.

• The larval food plants are not well established, so it is best not to assign a specific host plant without stronger evidence.

• Like other cloudywings, the caterpillar is likely to construct a shelter from folded or joined portions of a leaf, remaining concealed when not feeding.

Range

• Cecropterus nigrociliata has a western and southern Mexican distribution, extending southward through Central America to Panama.

• It is regularly sighted in the Zihua area, especially in warm, forested environments and along edges and clearings.

Habitat

• The Dark-edged Cloudywing is associated with tropical and subtropical forest, woodland edges and secondary vegetation.

• It can occur in relatively dry tropical environments as well as moister forest, making the species well suited to the varied habitats of the Pacific slope.

• In the Zihua region, look for it along forest edges, sunny trails, stream valleys, clearings and patches of secondary vegetation.

Description

• Cecropterus nigrociliata is a medium-sized, dark brown skipper, with the relatively broad wings and elongated hindwing tails characteristic of the cloudywings.

• The wings are predominantly brown with pale translucent markings on the forewing. The hindwing is darker and carries subtle contrasting markings.

• The species gets its English name Dark-edged Cloudywing from the dark edging along the pale or translucent areas of the wings.

• Its overall appearance is subdued, and the combination of dark coloration, translucent spots and long-tailed hindwings helps distinguish it from other Cecropterus.