Bug FAQDorantes Longtail
Cecropterus dorantes · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Hesperiidae
Also called: Lilac-banded longtail, Brown Tailed Skipper
The Dorantes Longtail has a wingspan ranging from about 37 to 51 millimeters. It lives from Argentina up through Central America, Mexico, the West Indies, and reaches southern Texas and peninsular Florida. Caterpillars eat various legumes such as wild and cultivated beans, while adults sip nectar from flowers like shepherd's needle and bougainvillea.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan measures between 37 and 51 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found from Argentina northward through Central America, Mexico, the West Indies, and into southern Texas and peninsular Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on several legumes, including wild and cultivated beans, Desmodium, and blue peas.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In southern Florida and southern Texas, there are three to four generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range matches the habitat description, extending from Argentina up to southern Texas and peninsular Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 13 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arkansas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Hesperiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecropterus_dorantes
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.