''Polites mardon'', the Mardon skipper, is a butterfly native to the United States northwest coast.

Description

The Mardon skipper is a small butterfly, less than one inch (25 mm), that belongs to the family

Hesperiidae Skippers are a family of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) named the Hesperiidae. Being diurnal, they are generally called butterflies. They were previously placed in a separate superfamily, Hesperioidea; however, the most recent taxonomy ...

. Its habitat extends from the northwestern coast of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, through southern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and northern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. In Washington, the Mardon skipper can be found in the Puget prairies and the South Cascades. Some distinguishing characteristics of this species are a hairy orange body with dark orange accents on the upper surface and a light orange lower surface with white-yellowish rectangular spots. Males are known to be darker than females and smaller. Other species with very similar attributes include the Sonora skipper (''

Polites sonora ''Polites sonora'', the Sonoran skipper or western long dash,

'') and the woodland skipper (''

Ochlodes sylvanoides ''Ochlodes sylvanoides'', the woodland skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America from British Columbia south to southern California, east to Montana, Colorado and Arizona. The wingspan is 25–32 mm. The ...

''). This butterfly species, native to the northwest, is most commonly found on prairies populated by native grasses such as Roemer's fescue (''

Festuca roemeri ''Festuca idahoensis'' is a species of grass known by the common names Idaho fescue and blue bunchgrass. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread and common. It can be found in many ecosystems, from shady forests to open plai ...

'') and red fescue (''

Festuca rubra ''Festuca rubra'' is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue or creeping red fescue. It is widespread across much of the Northern Hemisphere and can tolerate many habitats and climates. It is best adapted to well-drained soils in c ...

''). These native plants serve as oviposition sites. Some of the native plants that provide the species with nectar include the early blue violet (''

Viola adunca ''Viola adunca'' is a species of violet known by the common names hookedspur violet, early blue violet, sand violet, and western dog violet. It is native to meadows and forests of western North America, Canada, and the northern contiguous United ...

''), prairie lupine (''

Lupinus lepidus ''Lupinus lepidus'', the Pacific lupine, prairie lupine or dwarf lupine is a perennial herbaceous plant in the pea family (Fabaceae) endemic to western North America. Many varieties have been described, several of which are considered separate sp ...

''), as well as Idaho blue-eyed grass ('' Sisyrinchum idahoense''), penstemon (''

Penstemon ''Penstemon'' , the beardtongues, is a large genus of roughly 250 species of flowering plants native mostly to the Nearctic, but with a few species also found in the North American portion of the Neotropics. It is the largest genus of flowering ...

'' species) and vetch (''

Vicia ''Vicia'' is a genus of over 240 species of flowering plants that are part of the legume family (Fabaceae), and which are commonly known as vetches. Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other ...

'' species).

Conservation status

The Mardon skipper butterfly is currently listed as an endangered species in Washington state and classified as a federal endangered species. Its status denotes a high priority for conservation efforts. Over the years, studies have been assessing the decline of this species in the Puget prairies, by conducting population counts and habitat characteristics and their effect on the Mardon skipper's life cycle.

Threats

The Mardon skipper is a non-migratory species, so its response to changes in habitat is minimized, especially during the larval stage. This species is known to prefer open grasslands populated by native plants that can serve as host plants as well as nectar sources. Their optimal habitat can be easily degraded through conversion and fragmentation, increase in invasive species, as well as changes in weather and human actions.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10808170 Polites (butterfly) Butterflies of North America Butterflies described in 1881 Taxa named by William Henry Edwards