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Arizona Powdered Skipper (Systasea zampa [W. H. Edwards])
Wing span: 1 - 1 1/2 inches (2.5 - 3.8 cm).
Identification: Outer margin of hindwing has 2 deep scallops. Upperside is orange-brown with darker olive-brown areas; forewing has a transparent median band that is broken below the cell.
Life history: To await females, males perch all day in gulches.
Flight: Several broods from April-October.
Caterpillar hosts: Possibly various plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Canyons, washes, and other openings in desert, thorn forest, and brushland.
Range: Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and west 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:
Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press,
Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
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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