Diet

• Adults feed on flower nectar and are active during the day.

• The caterpillars feed primarily on plants in the Heliconiaceae, Marantaceae, and Zingiberaceae.

• The caterpillar constructs a shelter by folding and fastening a portion of the leaf with silk, providing protection while it feeds.

Range

• Calpodes longirostris is widely distributed from eastern and western Mexico through Central America and South America, reaching Brazil and Argentina.

• Around Zihua, it is an uncommon to occasional skipper, particularly in areas with dense vegetation and suitable Heliconia, Marantaceae, or ginger-family plants.

Habitat

• The Shy Saliana is associated with dense tropical vegetation, including forest, forest margins and vegetation along streams and quebradas. In Costa Rica, caterpillars have been found along stream margins where their host plants grow.

• Adults may also venture into more open vegetation, but their rapid flight and tendency to remain close to dense vegetation can make them difficult to observe.

• Around Zihua, good places to search would include shaded arroyos, riparian vegetation, humid forest edges and lush pockets within tropical deciduous forest.

Size

• This is a small, robust skipper, generally around 35–45 mm in wingspan.

• The body is relatively stout and the wings are predominantly brown, with pale markings that can be inconspicuous when the butterfly is resting among vegetation.