Butterflies of Cuba
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    • Species List >
      • Papilionidae : Papilioninae >
        • Battus devilliers - De Villiers' Swallowtail
        • Battus polydamas - Polydamas Swallowtail
        • Heraclides andraemon - Bahaman Swallowtail
        • Heraclides androgeus - Androgeus Swallowtail
        • Heraclides caiguanabus - Poey's Swallowtail
        • Heraclides oviedo - Oviedo's Swallowtail
        • Heraclides oxynius - Cuban Black Swallowtail
        • Heraclides pelaus - Pelaus Swallowtail
        • Heraclides ponceana - Dusky Swallowtail
        • Neographium celadon - Cuban Kite Swallowtail
        • Papilio demoleus - Lime Swallowtail
        • Papilio polyxenes - Black Swallowtail
        • Parides gundlachianus - Gundlach's Swallowtail
        • Pterourus palamedes - Palamedes Swallowtail
        • Pterourus troilus - Spicebush Swallowtail
      • Hesperiidae : Eudaminae >
        • Aguna asander - Gold-spotted Aguna
        • Aguna claxon - Emerald Aguna
        • Autochton potrillo - Potrillo Skipper
        • Cecropterus dorantes - Dorantes Longtial
        • Chioides marmorosa - Cuban Longtail
        • Epargyreus zestos - Zestos Skipper
        • Phocides pigmalion - Mangrove Skipper
        • Polygonus leo - Hammock Skipper
        • Proteides maysi - May's Skipper
        • Proteides mercurius - Cuban Mercurial Skipper
        • Telegonus anausis - Caribbean Yellow-tipped Flasher
        • Telegonus cassander - Cuban Flasher
        • Telegonus cellus - Golden-banded Skipper
        • Telegonus habana - Frosty Flasher
        • Telegonus talus - Green Flasher
        • Telegonus xagua - Antillean Flasher
        • Urbanus proteus - Common Long-tailed Skipper
      • Hesperiidae : Hesperiinae >
        • Asbolis capucinus - Monk Skipper
        • Atalopedes mesogramma - Mesogramma Skipper
        • Calpodes ethlius - Canna Skipper
        • Carystoides mexicana - Mexican Ruby-eye
        • Choranthus radians - Radians Skipper
        • Cymaenes tripunctus - Three-spotted Skipper
        • Euphyes cornelius - Cornelius Skipper
        • Euphyes singularis - Singularis Skipper
        • Holguinia holguin - Holguin Skipper
        • Hylephila phyleus - Fiery Skipper
        • Lerodea eufala - Eufala Skipper
        • Nyctelius nyctelius - Violet-banded Skipper
        • Oarisma bruneri - Bruner's Skipperling
        • Oarisma nanus - Nanus Skipperling
        • Panoquina corrupta - Corrupt Skipper
        • Panoquina lucas - Purple-washed Skipper
        • Panoquina ocola - Ocola Skipper
        • Panoquina panoquinoides - Obscure Skipper
        • Parachoranthus magdalia - Magdalia Skipper
        • Perichares philetes - Caribbean Ruby-eye
        • Polites baracoa - Baracoa Skipper
        • Pyrrhocalles antiqua - Caribbean Skipper
        • Rhinthon cubana - Cuban Rhinthon
        • Saliana esperi - Perching Saliana
        • Synapte malitiosa - Caribbean Faceted Skipper
        • Wallengrenia misera - Cuban Broken-dash
      • Hesperiidae : Pyrginae >
        • Anastrus sempiternus - Common Anastrus
        • Burca braco - Braco Skipper
        • Burca concolor - Concolorous Skipper
        • Burca cubensis - Cuban Skipper
        • Burnsius crisia - Antillean Checkered Skipper
        • Burnsius oileus - Tropical Checkered Skipper
        • Chiomara gundlachi - Gundlach's Duskywing
        • Eantis munroei - Munroe's Sicklewing
        • Eantis papinianus - Cuban Sicklewing
        • Ephyriades brunnea - Florida Duskywing
        • Ephyriades zephodes - Zephodes Duskywing
        • Erynnis zarucco - Zarucco Skipper
        • Gesta gesta - Impostor Duskywing
        • Ouleus fridericus - Fridericus Spreadwing
      • Pieridae : Colladinae >
        • Abaeis nicippe - Sleepy Orange
        • Anteos clorinde - White-angled Sulphur
        • Anteos maerula - Yellow-angled Sulphur
        • Colias eurytheme - Orange Sulphur
        • Eurema amelia - Cuban Yellow
        • Eurema boisduvaliana - Boisduval's Yellow
        • Eurema daira - Barred Yellow
        • Eurema elathea - Banded Yellow
        • Eurema lucina - Smudged Yellow
        • Kricogonia cabrerai - Cuban Sulphur
        • Kricogonia lyside - Lyside Sulphur
        • Nathalis iole - Dainty Sulphur
        • Phoebis agarithe - Large Orange Sulphur
        • Phoebis argante - Apricot Sulphur
        • Phoebis avellaneda - Orange-washed Sulphur
        • Phoebis neleis - Neleis Sulphur
        • Phoebis orbis - Orbis Sulphur
        • Phoebis philea - Orange-barred Sulphur
        • Phoebis sennae - Cloudless Sulphur
        • Phoebis statira - Statira Sulphur
        • Pyrisitia chamberlaini - Chamberlain's Yellow
        • Pyrisitia dina - Bush Sulphur
        • Pyrisitia larae - Confusing Yellow
        • Pyrisitia lisa - Little Yellow
        • Pyrisitia messalina - Whitish Yellow
        • Pyrisitia nise - Mimosa Yellow
        • Pyrisitia proterpia - Tailed Orange
        • Pyrisitia venusta - Pale Yellow
        • Zerene cesonia - Southern Dogface
      • Pieridae : Dismorphiinae >
        • Dismorphia cubana - Cuban Mimic-White
      • Pieridae : Pierinae >
        • Ascia monuste - Great Southern White
        • Ganyra menciae - Cuban White
        • Glutophrissa drusilla - Florida White
        • Melete salacia - Black-striped White
        • Pontia protodice - Checkered White
      • Riodinidae >
        • Dianesia carteri - Caribbean Metalmark
      • Lycaenidae : Polyommatinae >
        • Brephidium exilis - Pygmy Blue
        • Cupido comyntas - Eastern Tailed-Blue
        • Cyclargus ammon - Nickerbean Blue
        • Cyclargus thomasi - Miami Blue
        • Hemiargus ceraunus - Ceraunus Blue
        • Leptotes cassius - Cassius Blue
        • Leptotes hedgesi - Hedges' Blue
        • Pseudochrysops bornoi - Antillean Blue
      • Lycaenidae : Theclinae >
        • Allosmaitia coelebs - Cuban Hairstreak
        • Chlorostrymon maesites - Amethyst Hairstreak
        • Chlorostrymon simaethis - Silver-banded Hairstreak
        • Electrostrymon angelia - Fulvous Hairstreak
        • Eumaeus atala - Atala Hairstreak
        • Ministrymon azia - Grey Ministreak
        • Nesiostrymon celida - Caribbean Hairstreak
        • Strymon acis - Bartram's Scrub-Hairstreak
        • Strymon bazochii - Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak
        • Strymon istapa - Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak
        • Strymon limenia - Limenia Scrub-Hairstreak
        • Strymon martialis - Martial Scrub-Hairstreak
        • Strymon toussainti - Toussaint's Scrub-Hairstreak
      • Nymphalidae : Apaturinae >
        • Asterocampa idyja - Dusky Emperor
        • Doxocopa laure - Silver Emperor
      • Nymphalidae : Biblidinae >
        • Dynamine postverta - Mexican Sailor
        • Dynamine serina - Caribbean Sailor
        • Eunica heraclitus - Cuban Purplewing
        • Eunica monima - Dingy Purplewing
        • Eunica tatila - Florida Purplewing
        • Hamadryas amphinome - Red Cracker
        • Hamadryas februa - Gray Cracker
        • Hamadryas feronia - Variable Cracker
        • Lucinia sida - Caribbean Banner
      • Nymphalidae : Charaxinae >
        • Anaea cubana - Cuban Leafwing
        • Archaeoprepona demophoon - Two-spotted Prepona
        • Cymatogramma echemus - Chestnut Leafwing
        • Hypna clytemnestra - Silver-studded Leafwing
        • Siderone galanthis - Red-striped Leafwing
      • Nymphalidae : Cyrestinae >
        • Marpesia chiron - Many-banded Daggerwing
        • Marpesia eleuchea - Caribbean Daggerwing
      • Nymphalidae : Danainae >
        • Anetia briarea - Many-spotted King
        • Anetia cubana - Cuban King
        • Anetia pantherata - Great King
        • Danaus eresimus - Soldier
        • Danaus gilippus - Queen
        • Danaus plexippus - Monarch
        • Greta cubana - Cuban Clearwing
        • Lycorea halia - Tiger Mimic Queen
      • Nymphalidae : Heliconiinae >
        • Agraulis vanillae - Gulf Fritillary
        • Dryas iulia - Flambeau
        • Eueides isabella - Isabella's Heliconian
        • Euptoieta claudia - Variegated Fritillary
        • Euptoieta hegesia - Mexican Fritillary
        • Heliconius charithonia - Zebra Heliconian
      • Nymphalidae : Libytheinae >
        • Libytheana carinenta - American Snout
        • Libytheana motya - Cuban Snout
        • Libytheana terena - Antillean Snout
      • Nymphalidae Limenitinae >
        • Adelpha iphicleola - Iphicleola Sister
        • Limenitis archippus - Viceroy
      • Nymphalidae : Nymphalinae >
        • Anartia chrysopelea - Cuban Peacock
        • Anartia jatrophae - White Peacock
        • Anthanassa frisia - Cuban Crescent
        • Antillea pelops - Antillean Crescent
        • Atlantea perezi - Cuban Checkerspot
        • Colobura dirce - Mosaic
        • Historis acheronta - Tailed Cecropian
        • Historis odius - Stinky Leafwing
        • Hypanartia paullus - Antillean Mapwing
        • Hypolimnas misippus - The Mimic
        • Junonia coenia - Common Buckeye
        • Junonia neildi - Mangrove Buckeye
        • Junonia zonalis - Tropical Buckeye
        • Phyciodes phaon - Phaon Crescent
        • Polygonia interrogationis - Question Mark
        • Siproeta stelenes - Malachite
        • Vanessa atalanta - Red Admiral
        • Vanessa cardui - Painted Lady
        • Vanessa virginiensis - American Lady
      • Nymphalidae : Satyrinae >
        • Calisto aquilum - Cuban Dark Calisto
        • Calisto bradleyi - Bradley's Calisto
        • Calisto brochei - Broche's Calisto
        • Calisto bruneri - Bruner's Calisto
        • Calisto disjunctus - Western Cuban Calisto
        • Calisto dissimulatum - Mimic Calisto
        • Calisto gundlachi - Gandlach's Calisto
        • Calisto herophile - Cuban Common Calisto
        • Calisto israeli - Israel's Calisto
        • Calisto lastrai - Lastra's Calisto
        • Calisto muripetens - Guamuahaya Calisto
        • Calisto occulta - Hidden Calisto
        • Calisto sharkeyae - Sharkey's Calisto
        • Calisto siguanensis - Sand Calisto
        • Calisto smintheus - Cuban Rusty Calisto
        • Calisto torrei - Torre's Calisto
    • Download Species List
    • Thumbnails >
      • Papilionidae - Swallowtails
      • Hesperiidae - Skippers
      • Pieridae - Whites & Yellows
      • Riodinidae / Lycaenidae - Metalmarks, Hairstreaks & Blues
      • Nymphalidae - Nymphalids
    • Hostplants >
      • Picramnia pentrandra
      • Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
    • Other Wildlife >
      • Mammals
      • Reptiles
      • Amphibians
      • Birds
      • Odonata
      • Moths >
        • Tineoidea
        • Gelechioidea
        • Alucitoidea
        • Pterophoroidea
        • Schreckensteinioidea
        • Urodoidea
        • Choreutoidea
        • Tortricoidea
        • Sesioidea
        • Zygaenoidea
        • Pyraloidea
        • Lasiocampoidea
        • Bombicoidea
        • Geometroidea
        • Hedyloidea
        • Noctuoidea
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More Cuban moth photos added

12/3/2018

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Picture
Macrodes cynara 26 Sept 2009 © Rayner Núñez
There are currently only about 1360 moth species on the list for Cuba. It is anyone's guess how many there really are but my punt would be that it is at least 50% more or even 100% more but that is only a wild guess. What is certain is that there is a great deal more to be discovered.
I have spent much of the last week uploading photographs kindly received from Rayner Núñez onto this website (and more still to add). I am very grateful for these and for those received from Douglas Fernández. They can be viewed by clicking on the Species>Other Wildlife>Moths tab above.
And as always if you have any good quality photographs that you would like to contribute then please get in touch. Likewise if you spot any errors in identification then please do let me know.
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Day 21 - 10 Oct 2017 - Final day

4/3/2018

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This was our last day of another great trip to Cuba. We had missed Hurricane Irma though sadly it taken its toll in Cuba making life even tougher for many of the lovely people who live there. We have seen 96 butterfly species in 3 weeks which is more than half of the total of resident species. There have been many highlights including the large number of Cuban Kite Swallowtail Protographium celadon which have been very hard to see on previous visits.
Picture
Cuban Kite Swallowtail Protographium celadon 22 Sept Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
On our morning walk around the local tracks and trails we found there had been a fresh emergence of Antillean Crescent Antillea pelops and Impostor Duskywing Gesta gesta.
Antillean Crescent Antillea pelops 10 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
Radians Skipper Choranthus radians 10 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
Impostor Duskywing Gesta gesta 10 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
Impostor Duskywing Gesta gesta 10 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
We are already finalising our next trip to Cuba in the summer and plan another later in the year but missing the main hurricane season this time. Our thanks go to all our friends out there that helped to make it such a great trip and to the new friends that we made.
Picture
10 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
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Day 20 - 9 Oct 2017 - Bahía de Naranjo NP

4/3/2018

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A Prairie Warbler was in the trees at the front of the hotel as we went out this morning. The numbers of warblers that we are seeing only now seem to be increasing slightly as birds move south to their wintering grounds.
Picture
Prairie Warbler 9 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
We got a taxi round to the Paradisus hotel and then walked along the edge of the forest which is the Parque Nacional Bahía de Naranjo. We saw several Gray Cracker Hamadryas februa and a Caribbean Banner Lucinia sida which have been surprisingly scarce on this trip. It seems their flight seasons are only just starting.
Picture
Caribbean Banner Lucinia sida 9 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
We also added two more species to the list for the trip in the form of a female Mexican Sailor Dynamine postverta and a Gold-spotted Aguna Aguna asander which flew past us along the track. This was not unexpected as we have seen them here before and a bit further along is the only Bauhinia bush that I know of in the area. It was difficult to access the bush this time as, following the hurricane, the Paradisus hotel have been dumping all their tree debris along the edge of the track. Bauhinia is the foodplant of the Aguna and although there was lots of feeding damage I couldn't see any larvae on this occasion.
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Day 19 - 8 Oct 2017 – Lots of Sphaeros

2/3/2018

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We visited the small Las Guanas reserve today which lies just to the west of the Luna y Mares hotel. We always go here at least once during a trip but hadn’t managed it this time till now. There are little feeding stations along the trail where the fiddler crabs love to come and feed on what looks like crushed maize.
Picture
Fiddler crabs 8 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
It was nice to see several Cuban Kite Swallowtail Eurytides celadon still. We have so far seen them on 15 of the 19 days and often in high numbers. There weren’t too many butterflies about but we found a Violet-banded Skipper Nyctelius nyctelius larva in a folded leaf shelter of grass which was a new species for the trip.
Picture
Violet-banded Skipper Nyctelius nyctelius larva 8 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
And a few Florida Duskywing Ephyriades brunnea were nectaring high up on small white flowers of a shrub which I don’t know the name of. And I spotted some feeding damage on the foodplant Stigmaphyllon which contained both eggs and a small larva. It also had eggs of a Cyclargus but I can’t tell whether it’s Nickerbean Blue Cyclargus ammon or Miami Blue Cyclargus thomasi.
Florida Duskywing Ephyriades brunnea 8 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
Florida Duskywing Ephyriades brunnea egg 8 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
Florida Duskywing Ephyriades brunnea larva 8 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
Cyclargus sp egg 8 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
We also found a Clouded Sulphur Phoebis sennae larva on Senna occidentalis and two Concolorous Skipper Burca concolor larvae on Croton. There are lots of different reptiles here on the reserve and we saw seven species during the morning.
Picture
Clouded Sulphur Phoebis sennae 8 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
Florida White Glutophrissa drusilla 8 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
La Sagra's Flycatcher 8 Oct 2017 Guardalavaca © Tim Norriss
At lunch there was a slow movement of whites and yellows flying east over the pool including a Lyside Sulphur Kricogonia lyside. We had arranged to meet Carlos later in the day where he took us to a friend’s garden near Holguin to look for reptiles. And what a great couple of hours it turned out to be. The owners kept a few chickens in cages that were moved around from time to time. Under various objects in the garden was a host of reptile food. There were lots of large cockroaches 2” long and lots of their eggs and young. We also saw two species of scorpion and several huge tarantula. This black scorpion was about 3” long and the other was smaller and more colourful.
cockroach sp 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
scorpion sp 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
Tarantula sp 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
But it was the reptiles that we came for and it didn’t disappoint. I didn’t know what many of them were at the time, and one of them I’m still not sure of, but others I have managed to identify since. And if I have got any wrong then I’m happy to be corrected. The list is:
Pholidoscelis auberi
Anolis argenteolus
Anolis jubar
Anolis lucius
Anolis porcatus??
Anolis sagrei
Hemidactylus mabouia
Leiocephalus carinatus
Leiocephalus macropus
Gonatodes albogularis
Sphaerodactylus argus
Sphaerodactylus nigropunctatus
Sphaerodactylus notatus
You can see more pictures of all these on the reptiles page.
Gonatodes albogularis Neotropical Clawed Gecko female 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
Gonatodes albogularis Neotropical Clawed Gecko male 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
Sphaerodactylus nigropunctatus Three-banded Sphaero male 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
Sphaerodactylus nigropunctatus Three-banded Sphaero female 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
Sphaerodactylus notatus Brown-speckled Sphaero 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
Sphaerodactylus notatus Brown-speckled Sphaero 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
Hemidactylus mabouia Tropical House Gecko 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
Hemidactylus mabouia Tropical House Gecko 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
One that I have only just identified seems to be Jamaican Stippled Sphaero (or Ocellated Sphaero) Sphaerodactylus argus. I hadn’t considered this previously as although it occurs in 11 provinces including over in the east of Holguín province this seems to be the first time it has been recorded near the city of Holguín.
Sphaerodactylus argus - Jamaican Stippled Sphaero 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
Sphaerodactylus argus - Jamaican Stippled Sphaero 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
Sphaerodactylus argus - Jamaican Stippled Sphaero 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
This is the anole that I’m not sure of. It might be Cuban Green Anole Anolis porcatus but it might be something else, and there was also a smaller one that is perhaps a juvenile of the same species. It wasn’t until I looked at the photos later that I noticed the long-dead one.
Anolis sp 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
Anolis sp 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
Anolis sp 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
Under one board there were lots of small hatched reptile eggs - perhaps Gonatodes as they looked a little large for the Sphaeros.
Picture
8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
There was even a tiny frog Eleutherodactylus sp that I haven’t yet identified but I hope to by going through Díaz & Cádiz (2008). I wish I had given him/her a clean-up before taking the picture but there was so much going on there wasn't time for that.
Picture
Eleutherodactylus sp 8 Oct 2017 Holguin © Tim Norriss
We also spent a while searching by torchlight for the Prehensile-tailed Jutía Mysateles prehensilis which occurs in the spiny cactus hedges here but we had no luck on this occasion. It is a species of rodent in the family Capromyidae, one of many species endemic to Cuba. It is an arboreal herbivore found in both primary and secondary forest. This and Desmarest's Jutía Capromys pilorides are the only two species that are said to be still widespread on Cuba, many are already extinct.
What a brilliant few hours so thank you Carlos for arranging.
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