Ancyloxypha numitor
Encyclopedia
The Least Skipper is a North America
n butterfly
in the family Hesperiidae. They have a weak, satyr
-like flight.
The Least Skipper's rounded wings
and slender body are distinctive. Their checkered antennae
have no hooks. Males lack stigmata
. The upper side of the fore wings is dark brownish-black sometimes having a patch of orange. The hind wing is orange with a broad dark brownish-black band surrounding the orange area completely. The underside of the wings is orange with the hind wing discal area being a little bit darker. The hind wing veins are whitish. Its wingspan
ranges from 17 to 26 mm.
).
The European Skipper has more pointed wings than the Least Skipper, the antennae are short and not checkered, and the upper side of the wings is mostly orange or reddish-orange with thin black wing margins. Males also have very thin, black stigmata near the costal fore wing edge.
The Tropical Least Skipper has more orange on the upper side of the wings than the Least Skipper, and the underside of the wings has very small black marginal spots.
The Orange Skipperling is almost all bright orange on the upper side except for the basal areas being black. Males have black stigmata, and females usually have some black below the fore wing cell.
The Southern Skipperling is smaller than the Least Skipper (it is also the smallest skipper in the United States
) and the underside of the hind wing has a white ray which runs the width of the hind wing from the basal area to the margin.
.
singly on the host plant. The pale yellow eggs will soon form an orange-red ring round the middle. The larva
e make a nest by rolling up a single blade of grass or by using silk to tie together multiple leaves. The variable larva is grass green with four white pairs of distinct wax glands along the subventral area of the abdomen. The head is either brown or tan and is usually darker in the center. The collar has a white stripe and a black stripe. The cream pupa
has brownish colored markings. It overwinter
s as a larva in the third or fourth instar
. It has 2–4 brood
s per year.
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...
in the family Hesperiidae. They have a weak, satyr
Satyrinae
Satyrinae, the satyrines or satyrids, commonly known as the Browns, is a subfamily of the Nymphalidae . They were formerly considered a distinct family, Satyridae. This group contains nearly half of the known diversity of brush-footed butterflies...
-like flight.
Description
Insect wing
Insects are the only group of invertebrates known to have evolved flight. Insects possess some remarkable flight characteristics and abilities, still far superior to attempts by humans to replicate their capabilities. Even our understanding of the aerodynamics of flexible, flapping wings and how...
and slender body are distinctive. Their checkered antennae
Antenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
have no hooks. Males lack stigmata
Stigmata
Stigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus, such as the hands and feet...
. The upper side of the fore wings is dark brownish-black sometimes having a patch of orange. The hind wing is orange with a broad dark brownish-black band surrounding the orange area completely. The underside of the wings is orange with the hind wing discal area being a little bit darker. The hind wing veins are whitish. Its 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...
ranges from 17 to 26 mm.
Similar species
There are four similar species in the Least Skipper's range. They are the European Skipper (Thymelicus lineola), the Tropical Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha arene), the Orange Skipperling (Copaeodes aurantiaeca), and the Southern Skipperling (Copaeodes minimaCopaeodes minima
The Southern Skipperling is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found from Arkansas east to North Carolina, south through Florida, the Gulf states, Texas, and Mexico to Panama....
).
The European Skipper has more pointed wings than the Least Skipper, the antennae are short and not checkered, and the upper side of the wings is mostly orange or reddish-orange with thin black wing margins. Males also have very thin, black stigmata near the costal fore wing edge.
The Tropical Least Skipper has more orange on the upper side of the wings than the Least Skipper, and the underside of the wings has very small black marginal spots.
The Orange Skipperling is almost all bright orange on the upper side except for the basal areas being black. Males have black stigmata, and females usually have some black below the fore wing cell.
The Southern Skipperling is smaller than the Least Skipper (it is also the smallest skipper in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) and the underside of the hind wing has a white ray which runs the width of the hind wing from the basal area to the margin.
Flight
Adults may be noticed on the wing from May to September in the north and February to December in the south. It may be seen all year in southern FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Life cycle
To find females, males will patrol through stands of grass. 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 host plant. The pale yellow eggs will soon form an orange-red ring round the middle. The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e make a nest by rolling up a single blade of grass or by using silk to tie together multiple leaves. The variable larva is grass green with four white pairs of distinct wax glands along the subventral area of the abdomen. The head is either brown or tan and is usually darker in the center. The collar has a white stripe and a black stripe. The cream pupa
Pupa
A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago...
has brownish colored markings. It overwinter
Overwinter
To overwinter is to pass through or wait out the winter season, or to pass through that period of the year when “winter” conditions make normal activity or even survival difficult or near impossible...
s as a larva in the third or fourth instar
Instar
An instar is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each molt , until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or assume a new form. Differences between instars can often be seen in altered body proportions, colors, patterns, or...
. It has 2–4 brood
Offspring
In biology, offspring is the product of reproduction, of a new organism produced by one or more parents.Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny in a more general way...
s per year.
Host plants
Here is a list of host plants that the Least Skipper uses:- Cogongrass, ImperataImperataImperata is a small genus of grasses known as satintails. Satintail grass species are perennial rhizomatous grasses native to the tropics and warm temperate regions worldwide. They bear solid, erect stems and silky inflorescences...
sp. - Rice Cutgrass, Leersia oryzoidesLeersia oryzoidesLeersia oryzoides is a species of grass known by the common name rice cutgrass. It is a widespread grass native to Europe, Asia, and North America and present in many other regions, such as Australia, as an introduced species. This is a rhizomatous perennial grass growing to a maximum height...
- Cultivated Rice, Oryza sativaOryza sativaOryza sativa, commonly known as Asian rice, is the plant species most commonly referred to in English as rice. Oryza sativa is the cereal with the smallest genome, consisting of just 430Mb across 12 chromosomes...
- PanicumPanicumPanicum is a large genus of about 450 species of grasses native throughout the tropical regions of the world, with a few species extending into the northern temperate zone...
sp. - bluegrass, PoaPoaPoa 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...
sp. - SetariaSetariaSetaria is a genus of grasses in the Poaceae family.-Selected species:* Setaria cernua Kunth* Setaria dielsii R.A.W.Herrm.* Setaria faberi R.A.W.Herrm.* Setaria incrassata Hack. – Vlei Bristle Grass...
sp. - cordgrass, Spartina sp.
- Marsh Millet, Zizaniopsis miliacea