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Amblyscirtes carolina

(Carolina Roadside)

Overview

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Vulnerable

Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Carolina Roadside, Carolina Roadside-Skipper

Description

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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 Hesperiinae

The grass skippers are members of the Family Hesperiidae. Distributed worldwide, they comprise more than 2,000 species, most of which are found in the American tropics. The small to medium-sized adults usually have abruptly angled antennae with an apiculus at the tip . Adults of many temperate species are predominantly orange, while brown is the most common color of the tropical species. Male forewings usually have a brand or stigma with specialized scales . Most species have long proboscises and are avid flower-visitors. Adults flight is rapid, and perching posture is unique: the hindwings are opened at a wider angle than the forewings. Males of most species perch while looking for mates. Caterpillars feed on monocotyledons (grasses and allied plants ) and live in silken leaf nests that sometimes extend underground. Grass skippers typically overwinter as caterpillars within their shelters .[2]

Physical Description

Species Amblyscirtes carolina

Upperside is dark brown; forewing with small yellow spots. Underside of forewing is black with a dull yellow apex; hindwing is dull yellow with brown spots. (ref. 105120)

Color:

Upperside is dark brown; forewing with small yellow spots. Underside of forewing is black with a dull yellow apex; hindwing is dull yellow with brown spots.

Size/Age/Growth

Wing span : 1 1/8 - 1 7/16 inches (2.9 - 3.7 cm).

Habitat

Near streams and swamps in wet woods .

This cane feeder (caterpillars) is, not surprisingly, always found near cane in wet places. Habitats are edges and openings in swamps and bottomlands , borders of pocosins , and canals or ditches near cane. It is usually associated with cane in hardwoods , as opposed to pinewoods . (ref. 104611)

Biology

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Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Probably switch cane (Arundinaria tecta). Adult food: Nectar from flowers of sweet pepperbush, swamp milkweed, cinquefoil, wild strawberry, blackberry, and ironweed.

The foodplant is apparently only cane. The species nectars on moderate occasions, on a variety of species. (ref. 104611)

Reproduction

Males perch in the afternoons in sunny openings to wait for females.

Behavior

Flight: Three broods from April-September.

Flight period: Three broods; early April to mid-May, mid-June into early July, and late July to late September. The second brood seems small, whereas the third is certainly the largest. (ref. 104611)

Taxonomy

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Similar Species

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Members of the genus Amblyscirtes

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 22 species and subspecies in this genus:

A. aenus (Bronze Roadside-Skipper) · A. aesculapius (Lace-Winged Roadside-Skipper) · A. alternata (Dusky Roadside-Skipper) · A. belli (Bell's Roadside-Skipper) · A. carolina (Carolina Roadside) · A. cassus (Cassus Roadside-Skipper) · A. celia (Celia's Roadside) · A. elissa (Elissa Roadside) · A. eos (Dotted Roadside-Skipper) · A. exoteria (Large Roadside) · A. fimbriata (Orange-Edged Roadside-Skipper) · A. hegon (Pepper and Salt Skipper) · A. linda (Linda's Roadside-Skipper) · A. nereus (Slaty Roadside-Skipper) · A. nysa (Nysa Roadside-Skipper) · A. oslari (Oslar's Roadside-Skipper) · A. phylace (Orange-Headed Roadside-Skipper) · A. reversa (Reversed Roadside) · A. simius (Simius Roadside-Skipper) · A. texanae (Texas Roadside-Skipper) · A. tolteca (Prenda Roadside-Skipper) · A. vialis (Common Roadside-Skipper)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=19&sci=Hesperiidae&com=Skippers [back]
  2. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Stinga&search=Search [back]
Last Revised: 7/16/2012