''Polites sabuleti'', the sandhill skipper or saltgrass skipper, is a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

in 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 ...

. It is found from southern

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and eastern

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 ...

, south through

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 ...

and northern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

and east to south-eastern

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

, central

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, and north-eastern

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. It is an introduced species in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 22–32 mm. There is one generation with adults on wing from June to August at high elevations. There are several generations from March to October in the southern part of its range and at low elevations. The larvae feed on various grasses, including ''

Cynodon dactylon ''Cynodon dactylon'', commonly known as Bermuda grass, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia. It has been introduced to the Americas. Although it is not native to Bermuda, it is an abundant invasi ...

'', ''

Poa pratensis ''Poa pratensis'', commonly known as Kentucky bluegrass (or blue grass), smooth meadow-grass, or common meadow-grass, is a perennial species of grass native to practically all of Europe, North Asia and the mountains of Algeria and Morocco. Altho ...

'', ''

Distichlis spicata ''Distichlis spicata'' is a species of grass known by several common names, including seashore saltgrass, inland saltgrass, and desert saltgrass. This grass is native to the Americas, where it is widespread. It can be found on other continents a ...

'' var. ''stricta'', '' Eragrostis trichodes'', ''

Agrostis scabra ''Agrostis scabra'' is a common species of grass known by the common names hair grass, rough bent, rough bent grass, winter bent grass, and ticklegrass. page 210 A tumbleweed, it is a bunchgrass native to Asia and much of North America, and wid ...

'', ''

Festuca idahoensis ''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 ''

Festuca brachyphylla ''Festuca brachyphylla'', commonly known as alpine fescue or short-leaved fescue, is a grass native to Eurasia, North America, and the Arctic. The grass is used for erosion control and revegetation. The specific epithet ''brachyphylla'' means "sh ...

''. Adults feed on flower nectar.

Subspecies

*''Polites sabuleti sabuleti'' (California) *''Polites sabuleti tecumseh'' (Grinnel, 1903) (California) *''Polites sabuleti chusca'' (Edwards, 1873) (Arizona, California) *''Polites sabuleti margaretae'' Miller & MacNeill, 1969 (Baja California) *''Polites sabuleti ministigma'' Scott, 1981 (Colorado) *''Polites sabuleti alkaliensis'' Austin, 1987 (Nevada, eastern Washington) *''Polites sabuleti albamontana'' Austin, 1987 (Nevada) *''Polites sabuleti sinemaculata'' Austin, 1987 (Nevada) *''Polites sabuleti nigrescens'' Austin, 1987 (Nevada) *''Polites sabuleti basinensis'' Austin, 1987 (replacement name of ''Polites sabuleti pallida'') (Nevada) *''Polites sabuleti aestivalis'' Emmel, Emmel & Mattoon, 1998 (California, southern Oregon) *''Polites sabuleti channelensis'' Emmel & Emmel, 1998 (California)

External links

Butterflies and Moths of North America Polites (butterfly), sabuleti Butterflies of North America Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands Fauna of the Rocky Mountains Fauna of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Butterflies described in 1852 Taxa named by Jean Baptiste Boisduval {{Hesperiinae-stub