Diet

• Caterpillars: Feed primarily on wild indigo (Indigofera).

• Larvae construct leaf nests, where they shelter during the day and emerge at night to feed.

• Adults: Feed on flower nectar and generally remain close to areas supporting their larval host plants.

Range

• The False Duskywing occurs from southern Texas through Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica, with its broader distribution extending through tropical America and the West Indies in some treatments.

• Guerrero is within its range, and it occurs in western Mexico. It is also found in the Zihua area, particularly where dry tropical vegetation and Indigofera host plants occur.

Habitat

• Typically inhabits dry tropical and subtropical open country, including thornscrub, dry streambeds, abandoned fields, roadsides, and woodland edges.

• It is particularly associated with warm, relatively open areas where wild indigo grows.

• Adults tend to stay relatively close to their host plants, making areas of scattered shrubs and low vegetation especially productive for finding them.

Description

• A small to medium-sized spread-wing skipper with a wingspan of approximately 24–35 mm.

• The upper surface is dark brown to brown-black, with relatively subtle darker bands and markings.

• The forewing has a distinctive blue-gray or grayish submarginal band, along with a darker patch overlapping the central wing area.

• The wings are relatively narrow, an important feature separating G. invisus from the similar G. gesta. G. invisus also usually has smaller or absent subapical forewing spots, whereas these spots are much more conspicuous in G. gesta.

• The underside is mottled brown and cryptic, allowing the butterfly to blend readily with dry vegetation when resting.

• The body is robust, as is typical of spread-wing skippers, and the wings are normally held partially open or flat when the butterfly is basking.