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Butterflies of Zihuatanejo

SUPERFAMILY PAPILIONOIDEA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Butterflies and Moths (Order Lepidoptera)

-Butterflies (Superfamily Papilionoidea)

-Skippers (Family Hesperiidae)

-Spread-wing Skippers (Subfamily Pyrginae)

-Checkered-Skippers, White-Skippers, and Allies (Tribe Pyrgini)

-White-Skippers (Genus Heliopetes)

-Subgenus Heliopetes

-Turk's-cap White-Skipper (Heliopetes macaira)


Heliopetes macaira, commonly known as the Turk’s-cap White-Skipper, is a bright, fast-moving butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It belongs to the group of white skippers, recognized for their pale wings and contrasting markings. The wings are typically white to pale cream, marked with dark brown or black veins and borders, though the pattern is often less sharply veined than in the Veined White-Skipper. The underside is similar but usually softer in contrast, sometimes with faint grey or tan shading that helps with camouflage. This species is found in Mexico and Central America, inhabiting open habitats such as fields, scrublands, gardens, and forest edges. Adults are often seen perching with wings spread flat or flying rapidly close to the ground, making short, darting movements typical of skippers.

Diet

  • Caterpillars feed on plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae).

  • Females lay eggs on twigs and buds. Young caterpillars shelter in cracks in the host plant, while older larvae construct shelters from leaves.

  • Adults feed on flower nectar.

Range

  • Heliopetes macaira has a broad distribution from southern Texas through Mexico and Central America to South America, reaching as far south as Paraguay.

  • In Mexico it occurs in both western and eastern regions, including Guerrero.

  • It occurs in the Zihua area, particularly in suitable open tropical vegetation and along forest edges.

Habitat

  • This species favours open and semi-open tropical and subtropical environments.

  • Typical habitats include tropical woodland openings, forest edges, thorn-scrub, brush, weedy areas, roadsides and disturbed vegetation.

  • It is particularly likely where mallows and other larval food plants grow in sunny locations.

Description

  • The Turk’s-cap White-Skipper is a small to medium-sized skipper with a wingspan of approximately 32–35 mm.

  • The upper wings are predominantly white, with dark brown to black markings along the outer margins and forewing apex. The bases of the wings are somewhat greyish, particularly in females.

  • Females generally have broader and heavier dark markings than males.

  • The underside of the hindwing is especially useful for identification. It has a diffuse pattern with a broad olive-brown band along the outer margin.

  • It can resemble the closely related Laviana White-Skipper (H. laviana), but H. macaira generally has a less sharply defined pattern on the underside of the hindwing.

Turk's-cap White-Skipper

Heliopetes macaira

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