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Lenis Sootywing

Staphylus lenis, Steinhauser, 1989

Subfamily Pyrginae

Tribe Carcharodin

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Staphylus lenis, Mount Saint Benedict, Trinidad, 1 July 2002               Ref #:  I-124-15.2

Taxonomy

The family Hesperiidae includes all butterflies that are collectively called skippers because of their fast skipping flight.  This family is the sole member of the Superfamily Hesperioidea.  Whereas, the other five families of butterflies belong to the Superfamily Papilionoidea.  So, skippers are considered butterflies, but they have a few traits different than the species of “True” butterflies found in the Superfamily Papilionoidea.  Some of these traits include large eyes, short antennae (often with hooked clubs) and stout bodies.  Most also have a very rapid flight with a fast, almost blurred, wing beat.  There are about 3,500 species of skippers and they’re further divided into seven subfamilies.  They occur worldwide with more found in the tropics. Most species are brown or tan, but some tropical members can be quite colorful.

Staphylus lenis, Mount Saint Benedict, Trinidad, 1 July 2002                 Ref #:  I-124-13

General Information:

Staphylus lenis belongs to the subfamily Pyrginae.  This species is found the Yucatan Peninsula then south through Central America to northern South America and Trinidad.

Lifecycle:

The lifecycle of this species is not well known.