Purplish-black Skipper (Nisoniades rubescens [Möschler])
Wing span: 1 - 1 7/16 inches (2.5 - 3.7 cm).
Identification: Upperside is mottled black; forewing has tiny white subapical spots.
Life history: Females deposit eggs on the upperside of host plant leaves.
Flight: October-November in South Texas; July-November in Mexico.
Caterpillar hosts: Wild morning glories (Ipomoea) in the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Tropical, usually in lowlands.
Range: Brazil north through tropical America to northern Mexico. Occasionally strays to the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas.
