Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Palmetto Skipper
Euphyes arpa (Boisduval & Leconte, [1837])


Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Head and front of thorax are bright orange. Male Upperside of forewing is reddish-yellow with black borders and a 2-part black stigma; hindwing is black. Female: Upperside is mostly black with a few reddish-yellow patches. Both sexes: Underside of hindwing is bright yellow-orange with no markings.
Wing Span: 1 5/8 - 1 15/16 inches (4.1 - 4.9 cm).
Life History: To await females, males perch all day in sedge marshes. Caterpillars eat palmetto fronds and live in silken tubes at the frond base. Partially-grown caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: Probably three broods from March-November.
Caterpillar Hosts: Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including pickerelweed.
Habitat: Lowland palmetto scrub.
Range: Peninsular Florida, southeastern Georgia, coasts of southern Alabama and southern Mississippi.
Conservation: Populations should be conserved wherever found.
NCGR: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
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