North American Butterflies and Moths List

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Butterflies of North America

Butterflies of Texas

Orange Giant-Skipper (Agathymus neumoegeni COMPLEX (incl. chisosensis))
JPG -- species photo

Orange Giant-Skipper (Agathymus neumoegeni [W. H. Edwards])

Wing span: 1 3/4 - 2 3/8 inches (4.5 - 6.1 cm).

Identification: Upperside is orange to yellow-orange with black borders and black patches. Underside of hindwing is dark gray with a faint pale band.

Life history: From early morning to noon males perch near host plants to wait for receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on the host and fall to the base of the plant. A young caterpillar crawls to a leaf tip and burrows inside where it eats pulp and then hibernates. In the spring the caterpillar makes a new burrow in a leaf base where it feeds on sap until becoming inactive for the summer. Before pupating, the caterpillar enlarges the opening of its burrow and makes a silk trap door from which the adult can emerge.

Flight: One brood from September-October.

Caterpillar hosts: Parry's agave (Agave parryi).

Adult food: Females do not feed; males take moisture at mud or manure.

Habitat: Shrub-grassland or open woodland.

Range: Central Arizona to west-central New Mexico; southern New Mexico to west Texas.

Conservation: Not usually required.

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:


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:


Neck, R.W. 1996. A Field Guide to Butterflies of Texas. Gulf Publishing Co., 

     Houston, Texas.



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.

     

Tveten, J. and Tveten, G.  1996.  Butterflies of Houston & Southeast Texas.

     Univ. of Texas Press, Austin, TX.  292 pp.

     

Orange Giant-Skipper (Agathymus neumoegeni COMPLEX (incl. chisosensis))
distribution map
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