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Red Satyr (Megisto rubricata [W. H. Edwards])
Wing span: 1 3/8 - 1 7/8 inches (3.5 - 4.8 cm).
Identification: Upperside is dark brown; each wing has 1 eyespot and a reddish patch. Underside is light brown; forewing has a reddish patch and 1 eyespot near the tip.
Life history: Males patrol in shady areas for females. Eggs are scattered on dead leaves or near grass blades. Caterpillars eat grass blades and mature caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: Two broods from April-September.
Caterpillar hosts: Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) and St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum).
Adult food: Not reported.
Habitat: Open mesquite, juniper, or oak-pine woodland.
Range: Central Arizona, central New Mexico, east Texas, and south-central Kansas south through Mexico to Guatemala.
Conservation: Not usually required.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may 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.
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.
Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies.
Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.
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 1999 -
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