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Simius Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes simius W. H. Edwards)
Wing span: 7/8 - 1 1/4 inches (2.2 - 3.2 cm).
Identification: Upperside varies from dark brown to orange-brown; fringes are pale; male forewing has a small stigma. Forewing of both sexes has small pale spots forming a complete postmedian band which angles outward near the cell. Underside is gray with orange in the center of the forewing; both wings have a complete row of small pale spots.
Life history: Males perch in the morning on top of small plateaus to wait for receptive females. Females deposit eggs singly under leaves of the host plant.
Flight: One brood from May-July in the north; several broods from April-August in the south.
Caterpillar hosts: Blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis).
Adult food: Nectar from a variety of flowers including Penstemon, Cirsium, and Verbena.
Habitat: Open pinyon-juniper woodland, shortgrass and mixed-grass prairie.
Range: Saskatchewan and Montana south through Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico to Arizona, Texas, and northern Mexico.
Conservation: Not usually required.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management needs: None reported.
References:
Bailowitz, R. A., and J. P. Brock. 1991. Butterflies of southeastern Arizona.
Sonoran Arthropod Studies, Inc., Tucson, Arizona. 342 pages.
Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press,
Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
Stanford, R. E. and P. A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of western USA butterflies including
adjacent parts of Canada and Mexico. Denver and Fort Collins, CO.
Tilden, J. W. 1986. A field guide to western butterflies. Houghton-Mifflin Co.,
Boston, Mass. 370 pages, 23 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Brown, F.M., Eff, J.D., and B. Rotger. 1957. Colorado Butterflies. Denver
Museum of Natural History, Denver.
Ferris, C.D. and F.M. Brown. 1980. Butterflies of the Rocky Mountain States.
University of Oklahoma Press. Norman.
Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W. & Lafontaine, D.J., 1998. The Butterflies of
Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON. 280 pp.
Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised
edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.
Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies.
Privately published, Denver, Colo.
Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies.
Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.
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