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Hermit Skipper (Grais stigmatica [Mabille])
Wing span: 1 13/16 - 2 1/8 inches (4.6 - 5.4 cm).
Identification: Undersides of palpi are bright yellow-orange, underside of abdomen is buff yellow. Upper surface of wings is dark brown mottled with darker spots. Females have some tiny transparent spots at the forewing apex.
Life history: Adults rest under large leaves in the forest understory.
Flight: April and July-October in South Texas; March-December in Mexico.
Caterpillar hosts: Not reported.
Adult food: Not reported.
Habitat: Subtropical woods and edges; wooded canals.
Range: Argentina north through tropical America to Mexico. A periodic stray to South Texas, rarely north to Oklahoma and Kansas.
Conservation: Not necessary for a periodic stray.
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:
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.
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.
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