About Calpodes ethlius (Stoll, 1782)
Calpodes ethlius, commonly known as the Brazilian skipper, larger canna leafroller or canna skipper, is a butterfly species belonging to the family Hesperiidae. This species is distributed across the United States from southern Florida and southern Texas, extending south through the West Indies, Mexico, and Central America all the way to Argentina. Stray individuals and temporary colonies can occasionally be found as far north as southern Nevada, northern Texas, Illinois and Massachusetts. The wingspan of adult Calpodes ethlius ranges from 45 to 61 mm. In the northern parts of its range, adults are active during late summer. In southern Texas, there are several generations of this species between April and December, while Arizona has two generations from July to November. In Florida and tropical regions of the species' range, adults are active year-round. In Arizona, adult butterflies feed on Lantana. In Costa Rica, adults have been observed feeding on nectar from large white or pale yellow flowers that grow on woody lianas, trees, and shrubs. The main host plants for this species' larvae are Canna species; larvae roll or fold the ends of Canna leaves to make protective tent-like structures.
