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Panoquina ocola

(Ocola Skipper)

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Ocola 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]

Habitat

As with nearly all southern migrants, Ocolas are not particularly choosy in habitat , but will occur wherever nectar plants are abundant. Near the coast they can occur in dunes, maritime shrub thickets, vacant lots , roadsides, fields , savannas , gardens, etc. Farther inland, they can be found in powerline clearings, weedy fields, gardens, and other places with an abundance of flowers. Some references indicate a preference for damp places; I have not noticed this preference in NC, though they are not normally seen in dry longleaf pine/scrub oak habitats. (ref. 104713)

Biology

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Diet

Grasses are the main foodplants. The species nectars frequently; common flowers are camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris), sea lavender (Limonium), groundsel-tree (Baccharis), and others. I have seen dozens nectaring on mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum incanum) in Umstead State Park. Most of the 150 that Jeff Pippen and I saw in September 2002, and the 800 I saw in November 2003, were nectaring on lantana. (ref. 104713)

Behavior

Flight period: The flight period is essentially a single one (presumably composed of two broods) in late summer and fall , from early July to late August, and late August to mid-November, rarely to early December. Peak numbers occur in October. There is a tiny brood in the Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont in late May and June. (ref. 104713)

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Provisionally Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Beccaloni G..

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Panoquina

There are approximately 46 species in this genus:

P. arrans · P. belli · P. bola · P. californica · P. calna · P. chapada · P. chlorus · P. cineas · P. cochles · P. confusa · P. corrupta · P. errans (Wandering Skipper) · P. eugeon · P. evadnes · P. evansi (Evans' Skipper) · P. fonda · P. fufidia · P. fusina (Evans' Skipper) · P. fusina fusina · P. grapte · P. hecebola (Hecebolus Skipper) · P. hecebolus (Hecebolus Skipper) · P. heterospila · P. jumbo · P. leucas (Purple-Washed Skipper) · P. lucas (Purple-Washed Skipper) · P. luctuosa · P. nero · P. ocola (Ocola Skipper) · P. ophis · P. ortygia · P. panoquin (Salt Marsh Skipper) · P. panoquinoides (Obscure Skipper) · P. panoquinoides panoquinoides (Obscure Skipper) · P. parilis · P. pauper · P. pauper grapte · P. peraea · P. sonta · P. stratyllis · P. sylvicola (Purple-Washed Skipper) · P. trix · P. vimico · P. viola · P. wimico · P. woodruffi

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 26, 2008:

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: 2009-05-08