Prepona laertes, a butterfly species native to tropical South and Central America, has been detected in Broward county, Florida. This insect, also known as the shoemaker butterfly, was first detected in this location in August 2013, but populations have grown and persisted since then. Prepona laertes is known to feed on legumes and plants in the family Chyrysobalanaceae. These pests have often been observed in Broward county feeding on Chrysobalanus icaco L., also known as cocoplum. Larvae prefer young foliage and they tend to feed around midvein, using it as a perch. Cocoplum is a popular hedge plant in South Florida. Thus, Prepona laertes could potentially become widely distributed because of the large number of available host plants.
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