Butterflies of Zihuatanejo

SUPERFAMILY PAPILIONOIDEA

-Subtribe Eudamina

-Zilpa Longtail (Chioides zilpa)

Chioides zilpa, commonly known as the Zilpa Longtail, is a large and distinctive skipper butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is notable for its elongated hindwing tails. The upper side of the wings is typically dark brown to black, marked with small pale or translucent spots, especially on the forewings. Unlike the White-striped Longtail, it lacks a bold continuous band, instead showing a more scattered spotting pattern. The underside is generally brown with lighter markings, helping it remain camouflaged when at rest. This species occurs in Mexico and Central America, inhabiting tropical forests, edges, and clearings. Adults are strong, fast fliers, often seen moving rapidly along forest edges or perching briefly on leaves.

Diet

Adults feed on flower nectar and visit a variety of flowering plants.
The caterpillars feed on legumes (Fabaceae).
The caterpillar lives among the leaves of its host plant and uses folded or joined leaves for shelter.

Range

Chioides zilpa has a broad Neotropical range, extending from Ecuador north through Central America and Mexico, with the northern range reaching southern Texas.
It is occasionally sighted in the Zihua area, particularly in warm, dry woodland and tropical forest-edge environments.

Habitat

The Zilpa Longtail is associated with tropical scrub, woodland, forest edges and other sunny, semi-open habitats.
It is well suited to areas where flowering plants and climbing legumes occur together.
In the Zihua region, look for it along sunny forest margins, roadsides, clearings, scrub and open woodland, particularly where leguminous vines are present.

Description

The Zilpa Longtail is a medium-sized skipper, with a wingspan of approximately 39–59 mm.
The upper wings are predominantly dark brown to olive-brown, with several pale, translucent spots on the forewing.
The underside of the hindwing is especially distinctive, with a mottled olive, tan and brown pattern and a conspicuous trapezoidal white patch.
Each hindwing terminates in a long, narrow tail, giving it the characteristic longtail appearance.
A dark triangular marking near the apex of the underside of the forewing is another useful identification feature.