Padre Island National Seashore - Insects

The butterfly checklist below is current as of May 30, 2003 with 3 newly discovered species listed as nos. 40-42. Several species have been identified as new county records for Kleberg and Kenedy counties. Except as noted, each of the following butterfly species has been field identified and the park’s Resource Management division has a male and female of each species in its collection. Because field identification is sometimes difficult, a second source is verifying the identity of each species. Once the park’s butterfly study has been completed, a digital field guide of Padre Island butterflies will be available to the public. Note that the name of the park’s most common Buckeye (J. evarete) has been changed from Mangrove Buckeye (genoveva) to Tropical Buckeye (evarete) due to recent corrections in the taxonomic literature.

Scientific Name Common Name 1. Erynnis horatius Horaces Duskywing 2. Erynnis tristis Mournful Duskywing 3. Hylephila phyleus Fiery Skipper 4. Wallengrenia otho Southern Broken Dash 5. Amblyscirtes celia Celia"s Roadside Skipper 6. Lerodea eufala Eufala Skipper 7. Panoquina ocola Ocola Skipper 8. Panoquina panaquinoides Obscure Skipper 9. Battus philenor Pipevine Swallowtail 10. Papilio polyxenes Black Swallowtail 11. Heraclides cresphontes Giant Swallowtail 12. Pontia protodice Checkered White 13. Ascia monuste Great Southern White 14. Colias eurytheme Orange Sulfur 15. Zerene cesonia Southern Dogface 16. Phoebis sennae Cloudless Sulfur 17. Phoebis sennae marcellina (winter form) Marcellina Cloudless 18. Phoebis agarithe Large Orange Sulfur 19. Eurema lisa Little Yellow 20. Nathalis iole Dainty Sulfur 21. Ministrymon clytie Clytie Ministreak 22. Calycopis isobeon Dusky Blue Groundstreak 23. Strymon melinus Gray Hairstreak 24. Strymon istapa Istapa Hairstreak 25. Brephidium exile W. Pygmy Blue 26. Leptotes marina Marine Blue 27. Leptotes cassius Cassius Blue 28. Hemiargus isola Reakirts Blue 29. Libytheana carinenta American Snout 30. Euptoitea claudia Variegated Fritillary 31. Phyciodes phaon Phaon Crescent 32. Phyciodes tharos Pearl Crescent 33. Vanessa virginiensis American Lady 34. Vanessa cardui Painted Lady 35. Junonia coenia Common Buckeye 36. Junonia evarete Tropical Buckeye 37. Junonia nigrosuffusa Dark Buckeye 38. Danaus plexippus Monarch 39. Danaus gilippus Queen 40. Urbanus dorantes Dorantes Longtail Skipper 41. Phoebis philea Orange Barred Sulfur 42. Agraulis vanillae Gulf Fritillary Moths The Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center of the US Geological Survey reports the following moths for each of the following counties, across which Padre Island National Seashore extends. Most do not have a common name. The names of those that do are noted. Kleberg Co. 1. Eupackardia calleta Calleta silkmoth 2. Antheraea polyphemus Polyphemus moth 3. Utetheisa ornatrix (includes U. bella) Bella moth 4. Cycnia collaris 5. Ectypia bivittata 6. Ctenucha venosa 7. Cisseps fulvicollis (includes C packardii and C. Wrightii) Yellow-collared scape moth 8. Horama panthalon Texas wasp moth 9. Schinia snowii 10. Schinia citrinella 11. Schinia felicitata 12. Schinia gracilienta 13. Schinia bicuspida 14. Schinia volupia 15. Schinia regia Kenedy Co. 1. Antheraea polyphemus Polyphemus moth 2. Ceratomia undulosa Waved sphinx 3. Xylophanes tersa Tersa sphinx 4. Datana diffidens Willacy Co. 1. Eupackardia calleta Calleta silkmoth 2. Pachylia ficus Fig sphinx 3. Utetheisa ornatrix (includes U. bella) Bella moth 4. Lophocampa annulosa 5. Euchaetes bolteri 6. Schinia gaurae 7. Schinia ultima