![proteus plant proteus plant](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/PRAC6M/king-protea-plant-for-background-PRAC6M.jpg)
( Capinera, 1996)Īdults pollinate many plant species, while larvae feed on many plant species. Larvae are found to be preyed on by certain species of wasps and stink bugs. Some examples of common larval plants are Pisum, Desmodium, Bauhinia, cultivated beans, and any other viney plants (Klots 1951). Larvae are found on Leguminosae and Fabacceae (Neck 1996). As long as there is a flowering plant with nectar, the butterfly will stop frequently (Tventen and Tventen 1996). The adult butterflies have no specific attraction to certain plants. Males find potential mates through olfaction. The adults are known as erratic flyers as their flightpath is rapid and completely unpredictable. This is the reason for their nickname of 'Bean Leaf Roller' or 'Roller Worm' (Klots 1951).
![proteus plant proteus plant](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/yourgv.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/da/4da29750-8575-11ea-a573-7b9825702733/5ea1b1536569a.image.png)
![proteus plant proteus plant](https://img.theculturetrip.com/450x/smart/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/king-protea.jpg)
Wing bases, the part of the wing attached to the body, on the top are an irridescent green. The top side of Urbanus proteus is dark brown with lighter brown spots. The wingspan of these hairy butterflies is between 4 - 5.4 cm (Klots 1951). Long-tailed skippers have a broad head and a hairy body with tufts of hair at the base of their curved-tip antennae. Range elevation 0 (low) m 0.00 (low) ft.( Forestieno and Sbordoni, 1998 Tveten and Tveten, 1996) They are not found in high elevations or altitudes because of the cool temperatures (Forestieno and Sbordoni 1998). The habitats of these butterflies include brushy fields, woodland edges, coastal dunes, and even suburban gardens (Tveten and Tveten 1996). However, they do not survive long in these northen areas because of the colder temperatures (Tveten and Tveten 1996). These butterflies are abundant and year round residents of southern Texas and Florida, but during the summer months they can be found as far as Illinois and New York. The geographic range of Urbanus proteus is from Argentina in South America, throughout Central America and the West Indies, up to the southern parts of North America (Carter 1992).