Agathymus stephensi

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Threatened

Interesting Facts

Common Names

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

Habitat

Sonoran desert.

Biology

Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Desert agave (Agave deserti). Adult food: Females do not feed ; males sip moisture from mud .

Reproduction

The adults roost on bushes, the males usually in canyon bottoms . From early morning to noon males perch near host plants to wait for receptive females. Eggs are laid 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 make a new burrow in a leaf base where it feeds on sap until ceasing activity 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 September-October.

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Similar Species

Members of the genus Agathymus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 21 species and subspecies 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. evansi (Huachuca Giant-Skipper) · A. gentryi (Gentry's Giant-Skipper) · 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. 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. stephensi (California Giant-Skipper)

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

Further Reading

• Catalog of hymenoptera in America north of Mexico / prepared cooperatively by specialists on the various groups of Hymenoptera under the direction of Karl V. Krombein. .. [et al.]. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979- url p. 250.
• Entomological news. [Philadelphia]American Entomological Society, 1925- url p. 112.
• Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History. 13 1964 [San Diego]: The Society, 1905-1989. url p. 169.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
• 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).
• Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2602340
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-180604.0
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IILEP87180
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 172675

Footnotes

1. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=19&sci=Hesperiidae&com=Skippers [back]
2. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Stallingsia&search=Search [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.