Polites sabuleti
Encyclopedia
The Sandhill Skipper or Saltgrass Skipper (Polites sabuleti) is a butterfly
in the Hesperiidae family. It is found from southern British Columbia
and eastern Washington, south through California
and northern Arizona
to Baja California
and east to south-eastern Wyoming
, central Colorado
, and north-eastern New Mexico
. It is an introduced species in Hawaii
.
The wingspan
is 22–32 mm. There is one generation with adults on wing from June to August at high elevations. There are several generations from March to October in the southern part of its range and at low elevations.
The larvae feed on various grasses, including Cynodon dactylon
, Poa pratensis, Distichlis spicata var. stricta, Eragrostis trichodes
, Agrostis scabra
, Festuca idahoensis
, and Festuca brachyphylla. Adults feed on flower nectar.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
in the Hesperiidae family. It is found from southern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and eastern Washington, south through California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and northern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
to Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
and east to south-eastern Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, central Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, and north-eastern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. It is an introduced species in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 22–32 mm. There is one generation with adults on wing from June to August at high elevations. There are several generations from March to October in the southern part of its range and at low elevations.
The larvae feed on various grasses, including Cynodon dactylon
Cynodon dactylon
Cynodon dactylon , also known as Dūrvā Grass, Bermuda Grass, Dubo, Dog's Tooth Grass, Bahama Grass, Devil's Grass, Couch Grass, Indian Doab, Arugampul, Grama, and Scutch Grass, is a grass native to north and east Africa, Asia and Australia and southern Europe...
, Poa pratensis, Distichlis spicata var. stricta, Eragrostis trichodes
Eragrostis trichodes
Eragrostis trichodes, the Sand lovegrass, is a warm season perennial bunchgrass native to North America.-Description:Eragrostis trichodes is most common in sandy soil of the prairies on the central and southern Great Plains....
, Agrostis scabra
Agrostis scabra
Agrostis scabra is a common species of grass known by the common names rough bent grass and ticklegrass. A tumbleweed, it is native to much of North America, and widely known elsewhere as an introduced species. It occurs in most of the United States except parts of the Southeast and most of...
, Festuca idahoensis
Festuca idahoensis
Festuca idahoensis is a species of grass known by the common names Idaho fescue and blue bunchgrass. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread and common...
, and Festuca brachyphylla. Adults feed on flower nectar.
Subspecies
- Polites sabuleti sabuleti (California)
- Polites sabuleti tecumseh (Grinnel, 1903) (California)
- Polites sabuleti chusca (Edwards, 1873) (Arizona, California)
- Polites sabuleti margaretae Miller & MacNeill, 1969 (Baja California)
- Polites sabuleti ministigma Scott, 1981 (Colorado)
- Polites sabuleti alkaliensis Austin, 1987 (Nevada, eastern Washington)
- Polites sabuleti albamontana Austin, 1987 (Nevada)
- Polites sabuleti sinemaculata Austin, 1987 (Nevada)
- Polites sabuleti nigrescens Austin, 1987 (Nevada)
- Polites sabuleti basinensis Austin, 1987 (replacement name of Polites sabuleti pallida) (Nevada)
- Polites sabuleti aestivalis Emmel, Emmel & Mattoon, 1998 (California, southern Oregon)
- Polites sabuleti channelensis Emmel & Emmel, 1998 (California)
External links
- Sandhill Skipper, Butterflies and Moths of North America