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Oslar's Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes oslari [Skinner])
Wing span: 1 - 1 3/8 inches (2.5 - 3.5 cm).
Identification: Upperside is orange-brown with no markings; male forewing has a small black stigma. Underside of hindwing is light gray with a pale postmedian band.
Life history: Males are territorial and perch on sandy spots in gullies and ditches to wait for receptive females.
Flight: One brood from May-July in the north; one brood from July-September in Arizona; two broods from April-September in New Mexico and Texas.
Caterpillar hosts: Probably blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis) and other grasses.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Ravines, canyon bottoms, and foothills in prairies and open woodland.
Range: Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and North Dakota south through the high plains and Rocky Mountains to Arizona, New Mexico, and South Texas.
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.
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.
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:
Ferris, C.D. and F.M. Brown. 1980. Butterflies of the Rocky Mountain States.
University of Oklahoma Press. Norman.
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.
Add Toliver, M., Holland, R., and S.J. Cary. 1996. Distributional data
for New Mexico Butterflies. Privately published. Albuquerque, N.M.
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