Diet

• Caterpillars feed on plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae).

• Adults visit flowers for nectar and may also take moisture and minerals from damp surfaces.

Range

• Nisoniades godma ranges from eastern and southern Mexico through Central America to Costa Rica, with some broader treatments extending its range farther south.

• It occurs in Guerrero and is found in the Zihua area.

• It is a member of the tufted-skippers, a group of generally small, dark-coloured skippers with cryptic resting behaviour.

Habitat

• It occurs in tropical forest, forest edges, clearings, and areas of secondary vegetation.

• It is particularly associated with humid forest but can also occur in seasonally dry forest.

• Adults are usually encountered in sunny openings, along trails, and around vegetation where the larval host plants grow.

• The species occurs from low elevations into the foothills.

Description

• A small, dark brown skipper with a relatively compact build and a wingspan of roughly 30–35 mm.

• The upper surface is dark brown, with subtle translucent or pale markings on the forewings.

• The underside is somewhat paler and mottled, providing effective camouflage against foliage.

• The wing pattern can be difficult to distinguish from closely related Nisoniades species in the field.

• The species was described by Evans in 1953 and was formerly treated in some classifications as a subspecies of Nisoniades bessus.

• Its combination of dark wings, relatively subdued markings, and the characteristic tufted-skippers' resting posture makes it a typical small forest-edge skipper of tropical Mexico and Central America.