Bahamas Butterfly Photos - Skippers
by Will Cook
Here's a selection of Lepidoptera images from a trip to Grand Bahama, June 16-22, 2010. Biodiversity was not very impressive, but I found a few nice butterflies. All photos were taken using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50, most with the addition of a Sony VCL-M3358 close-up lens.
Pieridae | Lycaenidae | Nymphalidae | Hesperiidae
Hesperiidae - Skippers
Pyrginae - Spread-wing Skippers
| Zestos Skipper (Epargyreus zestos zestos) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/22/2010. Zestos Skipper is a large skipper similar to the related Silver-spotted Skipper but without the white spot on the underside of the hindwing and with short tails projecting from the ends of the hindwings. In Florida Zestos Skipper has all but died out, but they are still present in the Bahamas. |
| Zestos Skipper (Epargyreus zestos zestos) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/22/2010. |
| Zestos Skipper (Epargyreus zestos zestos) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/22/2010. |
| Dorantes Longtail (Urbanus dorantes santiago) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas, 6/18/2010. The tails on this one are starting to look a bit worn. |
| Dorantes Longtail (Urbanus dorantes santiago)Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas, 6/19/2010. Tails completely worn off. |
| Florida Duskywing (Ephyriades brunnea brunnea) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas, 6/21/2010. |
| Florida Duskywing (Ephyriades brunnea brunnea) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas, 6/21/2010. |
| Florida Duskywing (Ephyriades brunnea brunnea) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas, 6/21/2010. |
| Florida Duskywing (Ephyriades brunnea brunnea) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas, 6/21/2010. |
Hesperiinae - Grass Skippers
| Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/20/2010. Male. |
| Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/19/2010. Female. |
| Choranthus sp.? Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/20/2010. This skipper resembles a Monk Skipper (see below), but seems smaller, has a different shape to the forewing, and has a different ground color. What is it? |
| Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/20/2010. Same individual. |
| Monk Skipper (Asbolis capucinus) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/20/2010. Common in the West Indies and south Florida, the Monk Skipper is a large, dark fold-winged skipper that often perches still on low vegetation (and thus is very easy to photograph). The host plants are various species of palms. Monk Skippers are named capucinus for their resemblance to Capuchin monks — at least in the color of their vestments. These same monks also lend their name to cappuccino and capuchin monkeys. |
| Monk Skipper (Asbolis capucinus) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/20/2010. |
| Cornelius Skipper (Euphyes cornelius agra) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/20/2010. It has been suggested that this may be a Cornelius Skipper (Euphyes cornelius). |
| Cornelius Skipper (Euphyes cornelius agra) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/20/2010. |
| Cornelius Skipper (Euphyes cornelius agra) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/20/2010. |
| Obscure Skipper (Panoquina panoquinoides) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/21/2010. This denizen of salt marshes ranges along the immediate coast from the West Indies and Florida to Texas and on to South America. |
| Obscure Skipper (Panoquina panoquinoides) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/20/2010. |
| Obscure Skipper (Panoquina panoquinoides) Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas 6/20/2010. |
Pieridae | Lycaenidae | Nymphalidae | Hesperiidae
Comments? Questions? E-mail me at cwcook@duke.edu