Zabulon Skipper
Encyclopedia
The Zabulon Skipper, Poanes zabulon, (sometimes called the Southern Dimorphic Skipper) is a North America
n butterfly
first described by the French naturalists Jean Baptiste Boisduval
and John Eatton Le Conte
from the state of Georgia, United States.
This small butterfly has slim, triangular wings. The upper side of the male's wings is mostly orange with the margins being dark brown. The underside of the male's wings is mainly yellow-orange with the margins being dark brown. There is a yellow basal spot enclosed with brown. The upper side of the female's wings is dark brown with large, glassy spots near the fore wing outer margin. The underside of the female's wings is a brownish-burgundy color with the hind wing having a white streak on the costal edge. The wing margins are broadly frosted. The wingspan measures 1⅜ to 1⅝ inches.
The only similar species in the Zabulon Skipper's range is the Hobomok Skipper
.
The Hobomok Skipper has a more northern range and different flight period than the Zabulon Skipper. They also have more rounded wings. The upper side of the male Hobomok Skipper's wings has thicker dark margins. The underside of the male's hind wing lacks the enclosed yellow basal spot. While the female Zabulon Skipper has one form, the female Hobomok Skipper has two; the normal form and the pocahontas form. The upper side of the pocahontas form has smaller glassy spots and has one glassy spot near the fore wing costa.
singly on the underside of host plant leaves. The larva
is either brown or green, both sometimes having a pinkish hue. It is often indistinguishable from closely related larvae The chrysalis is often formed inside a leaf shelter. It is brown with the abdomen being a lighter brown and having small black dots. The overwintering stage is unknown. The Zabulon Skipper has 2 broods per year.
s are grass
es such as Agrostis
, Dactylis
, Elytrigia
, Eragrostis, Leymus
, Poa
, Puccinellia
and Tridens
.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n butterfly
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...
first described by the French naturalists Jean Baptiste Boisduval
Jean Baptiste Boisduval
Jean Baptiste Alphonse Dechauffour de Boisduval was a French lepidopterist and physician. He developed the Boisduval scale and identified many new species of butterflies. One of the most celebrated lepidopterists of France, he was the co-founder of the Société Entomologique de France...
and John Eatton Le Conte
John Eatton Le Conte
John Eatton Le Conte, Jr. was an American naturalist. He was born near Shrewsbury, New Jersey, the son of John Eatton Le Conte and Jane Sloane Le Conte...
from the state of Georgia, United States.
Description
Similar species
Hobomok Skipper
The Hobomok Skipper is a North American butterfly of the Hesperiidae family.-Description:This small butterfly has slim, triangular wings...
.
The Hobomok Skipper has a more northern range and different flight period than the Zabulon Skipper. They also have more rounded wings. The upper side of the male Hobomok Skipper's wings has thicker dark margins. The underside of the male's hind wing lacks the enclosed yellow basal spot. While the female Zabulon Skipper has one form, the female Hobomok Skipper has two; the normal form and the pocahontas form. The upper side of the pocahontas form has smaller glassy spots and has one glassy spot near the fore wing costa.
Distribution
It ranges from Wisconsin east to the East Coast, south to Georgia, Texas, and Panama.Habitat
The Zabulon Skipper can be found in a wide range of habitats such as woodland edges, woodland openings, and near roads, especially if there are streams nearby. It can adapt to other habitats including suburban areas, parks, and gardens.Flight
This butterfly is on the wing from March to April and again in August to October in the south; and from May to July and again in August to September in the north.Life cycle
Males perch all day in search for females. Usually, courtship takes place in the afternoon. However, it will occasionally happen as early as 8:20 A.M. Females lay their eggsEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
singly on the underside of host plant leaves. The larva
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
is either brown or green, both sometimes having a pinkish hue. It is often indistinguishable from closely related larvae The chrysalis is often formed inside a leaf shelter. It is brown with the abdomen being a lighter brown and having small black dots. The overwintering stage is unknown. The Zabulon Skipper has 2 broods per year.
Host plants
Recorded food plants of the caterpillarCaterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s are grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
es such as Agrostis
Agrostis
Agrostis is a genus of over 100 species belonging to the grass family Poaceae, commonly referred to as the bent grasses...
, Dactylis
Dactylis
Dactylis is a genus of grasses in the subfamily Pooideae, native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. They are known in English as cock's-foot or cocksfoot grasses, also sometimes as orchard grasses.-Taxonomy:...
, Elytrigia
Elytrigia
Elytrigia is a genus of about 20–40 species of grasses, native to temperate regions of the Old World, in Europe, Asia, and northwest Africa. The species are sometimes included in the related genera Agropyron or Elymus, while species in the genera Pascopyrum and Pseudoroegneria are included in...
, Eragrostis, Leymus
Leymus
Leymus is a genus of the true grass family . The common name for this genus is "wild rye"; however, members of the genus Elymus are also sometimes given the same common name...
, Poa
Poa
Poa is a genus of about 500 species of grasses, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Common names include meadow-grass , bluegrass , tussock , and speargrass. "Poa" is Greek for fodder...
, Puccinellia
Puccinellia
Puccinellia is a genus of grasses which are known as alkali grass. These grasses grow in wet environments, often in saline or alkaline conditions...
and Tridens
Tridens
Tridens is a genus of fungi in the Rhytismatales order. The relationship of this taxon to other taxa within the order is unknown , and it has not yet been placed with certainty into any family....
.
External links
- Zabulon Skipper, Butterflies of Canada
- Zabulon Skipper diagnostic photographs
- Zabulon Skipper, Butterflies and moths of North America