Abaeis nicippe, Sleepy Orange

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Freshly emerged adult

Description: 17-26 mm. Males are bright orange with black boarders. Females are a little more dingy in their orange color. The ventral side is orange with mottled brown markings that vary in intensity at certain times of the year.

Habitat and Distribution: Weedy fields and disturbed areas are likely places to find this species. They have been reported from most of the larger Keys from Stock Island to Key Largo. They are locally abundant in the Florida mainland and live throughout the southern United States and down through Mexico and Central America

Host Plant: shrubs in the Cassia family - perhaps (Cassia chapmanii) or (Cassia Bahamense)

Natural History: This species is likely migratory from the North and can appear in abundance at times but as soon as they appear, they can dissapear. They can be found from May - November in the Keys.

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Species Pages

Eggs

Final instar larva

Chrysalis