Orange-edged Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes fimbriata [Plötz])
Wing span: 1 1/8 - 1 1/4 inches (2.9 - 3.2 cm).
Identification: Head, palpi, and fringes are orange. (Occasional gray-fringed individuals occur in Arizona's Chiricahua Mountains). Upperside is dark brown with no markings; male forewing stigma is very narrow. Underside is slightly glossy dark brown.
Life history: Not reported.
Flight: One brood from June-July in Arizona; several broods from March-August in Mexico.
Caterpillar hosts: Nodding brome (Bromus anomalus), Arizona wheatgrass (Elymus arizonicus); and probably smooth brome (Bromus inermis), orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata), and others.
Adult food: Flower nectar including that of Asclepias.
Habitat: Pinyon-Ponderosa pine grassy woodland, cool canyons, roadsides.
Range: Common in its restricted range of the high mountains of southeastern Arizona south into Mexico.
Conservation: Populations and their habitats should be conserved wherever found.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: 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.
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:
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.