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:
Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W. & Lafontaine, D.J., 1998. The Butterflies of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON. 280 pp. Opler, P.A. 1998. A field guide to eastern butterflies, revised format. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.