Large Tiger (Lycorea cleobaea [Godart])
Wing span: 3 3/4 - 4 1/4 inches (9.5 - 10.8 cm).
Identification: Large. Orange with black horizontal stripes; stripes on hindwing join to form a loop. Tip of male abdomen has black hair pencils (scent brushes).
Life history: Males perch in the morning to await receptive females. Around noon, females lay eggs singly on the underside of host leaves, usually depositing several eggs on the same plant. Caterpillars eat leaves.
Flight: April, July, and October in South Texas; all year in the tropics.
Caterpillar hosts: Papaya, fig, bloodflower, Jacartia.
Adult food: Bird droppings.
Habitat: Tropical forests.
Range: Tropical American lowlands from the West Indies and central Mexico south to Peru. Strays to South Texas.
