Laviana White-Skipper
Heliopetes laviana
Description 1 1/4-1 5/8" (32-41 mm). Wings rather long, triangular and straight-edged. Above, cool white with dark, chainlike border pattern on FW, broadest around tip, rather faint or absent in HW. Male has lustrous sheen above. Below, FW white with some olive near tip; HW deep olive with white where wing joins abdomen (anal fold), beige patches near base and beige suffusion of scales on margin; large beige band crosses olive HW disk, irregular inwardly, straight-edged outwardly, not curved with margin.
Similar Species Large White Skipper has very vague pattern beneath. Macaira Skipper smaller, pale beige below with more HW marginal markings.
Life Cycle Immature stages undescribed.
Host plants are mallows (Malvaceae), including sida (Sida filipes) and mallows of the genera Abutilon and Malvastrum.
[b]Flight[b/] All months in S. Texas.
Habitat Chaparral, brush areas with mallows, canal sides, and lakeshores.
Range Arizona east to Texas, south to Argentina.
Discussion Although a regular resident of Texas, the Laviana White-Skipper is much more common in Mexico.
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