Common Names
Common Names in English:
Mojave Giant-Skipper
Description
Family Hesperiidae
'The Hesperiidae are members
of the Superfamily
Hesperioidea. Worldwide in distribution, skippers are richest in the tropics. More than 3,500 species are described, with approximately 275 in North America, many of which are found only in Arizona and Texas. Most skippers are small to medium, usually orange, brown, black, white, or gray. A few have iridescent
colors. Skippers have large eyes, short antennae (often with hooked
clubs), stout bodies, and three pairs of walking legs
. Their flight is often rapid, making wing movement appear blurred. Adults
of most species have long probicscises and feed
on floral
nectar, but some also take up nutrients
from bird droppings. Males have scent scales
found in modified forewing
patches. Males of most species locate mates by perching
(grass
and giant-skippers), though some patrol, especially in the open-winged skippers. Globular eggs
are laid singly.
'[1]
Subfamily Megathyminae
Giant-skippers are members of the Family Hesperiidae. These large robust insects comprise four genera and are limited to the United States and Mexico. Most species occur in the Southwest and adjacent desert portions of Mexico. Antennae are not hooked , and some species have a short apiculus . Males have long hairlike scales on the upper surface of the hindwings . Adult giant-skippers rarely feed , though males visit wet sand to imbibe moisture. Eggs are glued to host leaves (Megathymus and Stallingsia) or dropped into host plant clumps (Agathymus). Caterpillars burrow into host leaves and stems and feed within silk-lined tunnels. Pupae are formed in the larval tunnels and can move up and down . [2]
Physical Description
Species Agathymus alliae
Large and robust . Upperside is black with reddish orange at the wing bases and costa . Orange-yellow forewing spots are widely separated in males but in females are separated only by veins, forming an almost continuous band . Underside of hindwing is mottled gray with bands of yellow-orange spots. (ref. 105469)
Color:
Large and robust . Upperside is black with reddish orange at the wing bases and costa . Orange-yellow forewing spots are widely separated in males but in females are separated only by veins, forming an almost continuous band . Underside of hindwing is mottled gray with bands of yellow-orange spots.
Size/Age/Growth
Wing span : 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 inches (5.7 - 6.4 cm).
Habitat
Desert and open pine-woodland canyons .
Biology
Diet
Caterpillar hosts: Utah agave (Agave utahensis). Adult food: Females do not feed ; males sip moisture from mud .
Reproduction
From early morning to noon males perch near host plants to wait for receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on the host and fall to the base of the plant. A young caterpillar crawls to a leaf tip and burrows inside where it eats pulp and then hibernates. In the spring the caterpillar makes a new burrow in a leaf base where it feeds on sap until becoming inactive for the summer. Before pupating, the caterpillar enlarges the opening of its burrow and makes a silk trap door from which the adult can emerge .
Behavior
Flight: One brood from August-October.
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Protostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
()
- Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
()
- Cuvier
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
()
- Latreille, 1829
- Arthropods
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
()
- Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
()
- Heymons, 1901
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
()
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
()
- Class:
Insecta
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- Insects
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
()
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
()
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
()
- Order:
Lepidoptera
()
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Butterflies and Moths
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
()
- Family:
Hesperiidae
()
- Latreille, 1809
- Skippers
- Subfamily:
Megathyminae
()
- Giant Skippers
- Genus:
Agathymus
()
- Specific name:
alliae
- (D. Stallings & Turner, 1957)
- Scientific name: - Agathymus alliae (D. Stallings & Turner, 1957)
- Specific name:
alliae
- (D. Stallings & Turner, 1957)
- Genus:
Agathymus
(
- Subfamily:
Megathyminae
(
- Family:
Hesperiidae
(
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
(
- Order:
Lepidoptera
(
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
(
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
(
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
(
- Class:
Insecta
(
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
(
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
(
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
(
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
(
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
(
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
(
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
(
- Branch:
Protostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Notes
Name Status: Accepted Name .
Similar Species
Members of the genus Agathymus
There are approximately 46 species in this genus:
A. alliae (Mojave Giant-Skipper) · A. aryxna (Arizona Giant-Skipper) · A. baueri (Bauer's Giant-Skipper) · A. baueri freemani (Freeman's Agave Borer) · A. belli · A. carlsbadensis · A. chinatiensis · A. chisosensis · A. comstocki · A. dawsoni · A. diabloensis · A. drucei · A. escalantei · A. estelleae · A. evansi (Huachuca Giant-Skipper) · A. fieldi · A. florenceae · A. freemani · A. gentryi (Gentry's Giant-Skipper) · A. gilberti · A. hoffmanni · A. indecisa · A. judithae · A. juliae · A. lajitaensis · A. mariae (Mary's Giant-Skipper) · A. mariae chinatiensis (Chinati Mountains Agave Borer) · A. mariae lajitaensis (Lajitas Agave Borer) · A. mariae rindgei (Rindge's Agave Borer) · A. mcalpinei · A. micheneri · A. neumoegeni (Orange Giant-Skipper) · A. neumoegeni carlsbadensis (Carlsbad Agave Borer) · A. neumoegeni chisosensis (Tawny Giant Skipper) · A. neumoegeni diabloensis (Diablo Mountains Agave Borer) · A. neumoegeni florenceae (Florence's Agave Borer) · A. neumoegeni judithae (Judith's Agave Borer) · A. neumoegeni mcalpinei (Mcalpine's Agave Borer) · A. polingi (Poling's Giant-Skipper) · A. remingtoni (Coahuila Giant-Skipper) · A. remingtoni valverdiensis (Coahuila Giant Skipper) · A. rethon · A. ricei · A. rindgei · A. stephensi (California Giant-Skipper) · A. valverdiensis
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Notes
Contributors
- Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D, Paglinawan LE, Bailly N, Kirk PM, Bourgoin T, van Hertum J, eds (2008). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist Taxonomic Classification. CD-ROM; Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2005. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [http://sn2000.taxonomy.nl/Taxonomicon/]. Access date: Nov 23, 2005
- LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index
- Opler, Paul A., Harry Pavulaan, Ray E. Stanford, Michael Pogue, coordinators. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Mountain Prairie Information Node. March 26, 2007.
- Opler, Paul A., Kelly Lotts, and Thomas Naberhaus, coordinators. 2009. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Big Sky Institute. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ (Version of April 17, 2009).
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2602332
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-180572.0
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IILEP87200
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 172697
