Cecropterus dorantes

Cecropterus dorantes, the lilac-banded longtail or Dorantes longtail, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found from Argentina, north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to southern Texas and peninsular Florida. Strays can be found as far north as northern California, southern Arizona, southern Missouri and North Carolina.^[2]

Cecropterus dorantes
Cecropterus dorantes dorantes in Ecuador
Cecropterus dorantes santiago in Cuba
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Hesperiidae
Genus:	Cecropterus
Species:	C. dorantes
Binomial name
Cecropterus dorantes (Stoll, [1790])
Synonyms
List Papilio dorantes Stoll, [1790] Goniurus dorantes (Stoll, [1790]) Eudamus dorantes (Stoll, [1790]) Goniurus torones Hübner, 1821 Eudamus atletes C. & R. Felder, 1862 Eudamus amisus Hewitson, 1867 Eudamus protillus Herrich-Schäffer, 1869 Goniurus retractus Plötz, 1880 Goniurus kefersteinii Plötz, 1880 Goniurus cariosa Herrich-Schäffer, 1862 Goniurus corydon Butler, 1870 Eudamus brevicaudata Lathy, 1904 Eudamus parvus Skinner, 1920 Eudamus galapagensis Williams, 1911 Urbanus galapagensis Urbanus dorantes Stoll, 1790

The wingspan is 37–51 mm. There are three to four generations throughout the year in southern Florida and southern Texas.

The larvae feed on various legumes, including wild and cultivated Phaseolus species, Desmodium and blue peas Clitoria. Adults feed on flower nectar from various plants, including shepherd's needle, lantana, trilisa, ironweed, and bougainvillea.^{[citation needed]}

Subspecies

The following subspecies are recognised:^[3]

• Cecropterus dorantes dorantes (Texas, Mexico, Surinam, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela)
• Cecropterus dorantes santiago (Brazil, Jamaica, Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba, Grenada)
• Cecropterus dorantes obscurus (Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Saba, Antigua, Grenada, Barbados)
• Cecropterus dorantes galapagensis (Galapagos)
• Cecropterus dorantes calafia (Mexico (Baja California))
• Cecropterus dorantes cramptoni (Antilles, Puerto Rico)