North American Butterflies and Moths List

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Butterflies of North America

Butterflies of Mississippi

Carolina Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes carolina)
JPG -- species photo

Carolina Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes carolina [Skinner])

Wing span: 1 1/8 - 1 7/16 inches (2.9 - 3.7 cm).

Identification: Upperside is dark brown; forewing with small yellow spots. Underside of forewing is black with a dull yellow apex; hindwing is dull yellow with brown spots.

Life history: Males perch in the afternoons in sunny openings to wait for females.

Flight: Three broods from April-September.

Caterpillar hosts: Probably switch cane (Arundinaria tecta).

Adult food: Nectar from flowers of sweet pepperbush, swamp milkweed, cinquefoil, wild strawberry, blackberry, and ironweed.

Habitat: Near streams and swamps in wet woods.

Range: Southeast Virginia south to South Carolina; west to northern Mississippi. Isolated populations in Delaware, southern Illinois, and northwest Arkansas.

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:


Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W. & Lafontaine, D.J., 1998.  The Butterflies of 

     Canada.  University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON.  280 pp. 



Mather, B. and Mather, K.  1958.  The Butterflies of Mississippi.  Tulane 

     Studies in Zoology 6:63-109.

     

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

     Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.      

Carolina Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes carolina)
distribution map
map legend

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