Euphyes arpa

Euphyes arpa

Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Euphyes
Species:
E. arpa
Binomial name
Euphyes arpa
Synonyms
  • Hesperia arpa Boisduval & Le Conte, [1837]
  • Limochores arpa Dyar, 1903[3]
  • Atrytone arpa

Euphyes arpa, the palmetto skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae.

Description

The wingspan is 41–49 mm.

Ecology

The larvae feed on the fronds of the palm species Serenoa repens, the saw palmetto, and live in silken tubes at the frond base.[4] The species overwinters in the larval stage.[4]

Adults feed on flower nectar from various plants, including the pickerelweeds (genus Pontederia).[4] Adult males perch in sedge marshes to await females.[4]

Habitat is generally moist with low palmetto scrub, including open pine flats, and forested scrub/shrub wetlands, with a necessary abundance of saw palmetto.[1][5]

Range

E. arpa is found in most of Florida, and immediately adjacent Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, possibly established resident only in Florida and Mississippi.[1]

Brood

Adults occur in most of Florida from about March to November, apparently with several broods per year.[1]

Conservation status

The species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List.[6] NatureServe ranks the species with a rounded global conservation status of G3: vulnerable.[1] The species may be extirpated in the Florida Keys.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Schweitzer, DF (2004). "Comprehensive Report Species – Euphyes arpa". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe Inc. Retrieved 1 January 2014.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ "Euphyes arpa". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  3. ^ Euphyes at funet
  4. ^ a b c d "Butterflies and Moths of North America". Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  5. ^ Allen, Thomas J. (2005). A Field Guide to Caterpillars. Oxford University Press. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-19-803413-1.
  6. ^ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Retrieved 18 December 2013. (Search for Euphyes arpa to verify non-assessment).
  • Watercolor of larval, chrysalis and adult forms by John Abbott:
Boisduval, Jean; LeConte, John (1833). Histoire générale et iconigraphie des lépidoptè et des chenilles de l'Amérique septentrionale (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: Librairie Encyclopédique De Roret. p. 363 (plate 68).