Molo mango

Molo mango is a beautiful Hesperiini.

it is a widespread species, ranging from Costa Rica to the Guyanas, Southern Brasil and the Western slopes of the Andes in Ecuador.

in Ecuador it is not common (on butterfliesofamerica nearly all specimens come from French Guyana, with a few from Costa Rica).

widespread as it may be, this species has no subspecies.

but a closer look at specimens raises some questions:

    - when males from French Guyana and Western Ecuador are quite similar,

    - males from Costa Rica are slightly different,

    - and males from Sangay NP, i.e. from the center of its geographic distribution, are markedly different.

but we also have differences in size:

    - males from French Guyana have a wingspan of  28 mm (FW length 13/14 mm),

    - when those of Western Ecuador are 36 mm (FW 17 mm),

    - and those from Costa Rica and from Sangay NP average 32/33mm.

French Guyana

Cotacachi Cayapas Reserve, Ecuador - 100 m

Costa Rica

Sangay NP , Ecuador - 1100 m

the only Molo mango population found at such an elevation, all other populations that we know fly close to sea level.

it would be very interesting to see Brasilian specimens (North and South), and also specimens from Colombia and Peru.

the only females we know are from French Guyana and Western Ecuador, but unlike their male counterparts, they're quite different but also of different sizes, 30 mm wingspan in French Guyana, 38 mm in Cotacachi.

French Guyana

Cotacachi Cayapas Reserve, Ecuador - 100 m