Polites sonora

Sonoran skipper
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Polites
Species:
P. sonora
Binomial name
Polites sonora
(Scudder, 1872)
Synonyms
  • Ochlodes sonora Scudder, 1872

Polites sonora, the Sonoran skipper or western long dash,[1] is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found along the Pacific coast of the U.S., reaching Canada only in the extreme southern interior of British Columbia.[2]

The wingspan is 25–27 mm.[2]

There is one generation in Canada from mid-July to mid-August in British Columbia.[2]

The larvae feed on grasses, possibly Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis).[1][2] Adults feed on nectar from flowers including white-flowered thistles.[3]

Subspecies

  • P. s. sonora
  • P. s. siris (Edwards, 1881) – Dog Star skipper
  • P. s. utahensis (Skinner, 1911)
  • P. s. flaviventris Austin, 1998

References

  1. ^ a b Polites, funet.fi
  2. ^ a b c d Sonoran Skipper, Butterflies of Canada
  3. ^ "Polites sonora". explorer.natureserve.org.


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