Bug FAQSouthern Guava Skipper
Phocides polybius · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Hesperiidae
Also called: Guava Skipper
It lives from southern Texas through Mexico, Central America and down to Argentina, and its caterpillars feed on guava-related plants while adults likely sip flower nectar.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Phocides polybius, called the bloody spot or guava skipper, belongs to the skipper family Hesperiidae and is native to the Americas.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 42 to 63 mm (1.7 to 2.5 in).
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars eat leaves of Psidium species such as guava (Psidium guajava) and strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum). Adult butterflies probably feed on nectar from flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Several generations occur, with adults flying from February and April and then from June through December in southern Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing in February, April, and from June to December in southern Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range covers the United States (southern Texas), Mexico, Central America and much of South America down to Argentina.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is a skipper butterfly native to the Americas, known as the bloody spot or guava skipper.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 2 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of the Southern Guava Skipper eat?
The larvae feed on leaves of guava-related plants, especially Psidium guajava and Psidium cattleianum.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see adult Southern Guava Skippers?
Adults are active in February, April, and from June through December in southern Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
How large is the Southern Guava Skipper?
Its wingspan measures between 42 and 63 mm (about 1.7 to 2.5 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Hesperiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phocides_polybius
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.