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Polites sabuleti

(Sandhill Skipper)

Overview

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Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Sandhill Skipper, Saltgrass 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 Polites sabuleti

Common and quite variable. Upperside of male is yellow-orange with dark toothed borders and a sinuous stigma on the forewing . Upperside of female has heavier dark markings and almost transparent light spots; no stigma. Underside of the hindwing in both sexes is yellow-tan with yellow veins, dark chevrons between the veins at the outer margin , and dark spots at the vein ends. (ref. 105062)

Color:

Common and quite variable. Upperside of male is yellow-orange with dark toothed borders and a sinuous stigma on the forewing . Upperside of female has heavier dark markings and almost transparent light spots; no stigma. Underside of the hindwing in both sexes is yellow-tan with yellow veins, dark chevrons between the veins at the outer margin , and dark spots at the vein ends.

Size/Age/Growth

Wing span : 7/8 - 1 1/4 inches (2.2 - 3.2 cm).

Habitat

Alkali grasslands, moist meadows, lawns, salt marshes, sand dunes, sagebrush flats, and alpine fell-fields.

Biology

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Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Various grasses including Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), bluegrass (Poa pratensis), desert salt grass (Distichlis spicata var. stricta), sand lovegrass (Eragrostis trichodes), rough bentgrass (Agrostis scabra), Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), and alpine fescue (Festuca brachyphylla). Adult food: Flower nectar.

Reproduction

To watch for females, males perch all day in low grassy areas. Females deposit eggs singly on the host or on nearby plants . Caterpillars feed on leaves and take shelter in nests of tied leaves. Chrysalids hibernate.

Behavior

Flight: One flight from June-August at high elevations ; several flights from March-October in the south and at low elevations.

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Polites

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 26 species and subspecies in this genus:

P. baracoa (Baracoa Skipper) · P. carus (Carus Skipper) · P. coras (Peck's Skipper) · P. draco (Draco Skipper) · P. mardon (Mardon Skipper) · P. mardon klamathensis (Mardon Skipper) · P. mardon mardon (Mardon Skipper) · P. mystic (Long Dash) · P. mystic mystic (Long Dash) · P. origenes (Crossline Skipper) · P. origenes rhena (Rhena Skipper) · P. peckius (Peck's Skipper) · P. rhesus (Rhesus Skipper) · P. sabuleti (Sandhill Skipper) · P. sabuleti albamontana (White Mountain Skipper) · P. sabuleti channelensis (Sandhill Skipper) · P. sabuleti ministigma (Sandhill Skipper) · P. sabuleti nigrescens (Dark Sandhill Skipper) · P. sabuleti sinemaculata (Bleached Sandhill Skipper) · P. sabuleti tecumseh (Tecumseh Skipper) · P. sonora (Sonora Skipper) · P. sonora flavaventris (Sonora Skipper) · P. sonora longinqua (Sonora Skipper) · P. sonora siris (Dog Star Skipper) · P. themistocles (Tawny-Edged Skipper) · P. vibex (Whirlabout)

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: 7/16/2012