North American Butterflies and Moths List

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U.S. Geological Survey


Butterflies of North America

Butterflies of Illinois

Reversed Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes reversa)

Reversed Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes reversa F. M. Jones)

Wing span: 1 1/8 - 1 3/8 inches (2.9 - 3.5 cm).

Identification: Upperside is dark brown; forewing with pale spots. Underside is rust-brown; hindwing has a yellow streak in the cell and a submarginal row of small yellow spots.

Life history: Caterpillars eat leaves and make shelters of rolled leaves.

Flight: Two to three broods from April-August.

Caterpillar hosts: Switch cane (Arundinaria tecta).

Adult food: Flower nectar.

Habitat: Swampy or wet woods near slow streams, with cane undergrowth.

Range: Spotty distribution from southeast Virginia south to northern Georgia; also in southern Mississippi and southern Illinois.

Conservation: Populations should be monitored as habitat is gradually being reduced by drainage and conversion to agriculture.

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:


Opler, P. A. and G. O. Krizek. 1984. Butterflies east of the Great Plains. Johns 

     Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 294 pages, 54 color plates.



Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson 

     field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates.



Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, 

     Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.

Author: Jane M. Struttmann

State and Regional References:


Opler, P.A. 1998. A field guide to eastern butterflies, revised format.

     Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.

     

Sedman, Y. and Hess, D.F.  1985.  The Butterflies of West Central Illionois.

     Series in the Biological Sciences No. 11.  Western Illinois Univ., Macomb, 

     IL.  118 pp.

Reversed Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes reversa)
distribution map
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