''Lon melane'', the umber 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 ...

of 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 in

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 ...

(west of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

divide), southern

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 ...

, the highlands of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

.Butterflies and Moths of North America collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera
/ref> The habitat consists of desert foothills, grassy areas, streamsides, roadsides, yards, parks and open oak woodland. 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 32–35 mm. The wings are umber brown, the forewing with a darker disc and pale spots and the hindwing with a light yellow-brown band. There are two generations per year with adults on wing from March to May and again from September to October. They feed on flower nectar. The larvae feed on the leaves of various grasses, including '' Cynodon dactylon'', ''

Deschampsia caespitosa ''Deschampsia cespitosa'', commonly known as tufted hairgrass or tussock grass, is a perennial tufted plant in the grass family Poaceae. Distribution of this species is widespread including the eastern and western coasts of North America, parts o ...

'', '' Lamarckia aurea'', ''

Stenotaphrum secundatum St. Augustine grass (''Stenotaphrum secundatum''), also known as buffalo turf in Australia and buffalo grass in South Africa, is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is a warm-season lawn grass that is popular for cultivation in tropica ...

'', ''

Carex spissa ''Carex spissa'' is a species of sedge known by the common name San Diego sedge. It is native to the southwestern United States in California, Arizona,Phyllostachys bambusoides ''Phyllostachys bambusoides'', commonly called , giant timber bamboo, or Japanese timber bamboo, is a species of flowering plant in the bamboo subfamily of the grass family Poaceae, native to China, and possibly also to Japan. Description ''Phyl ...

'', ''

Ehrharta erecta ''Ehrharta erecta'' is a species of grass commonly known as panic veldtgrass. The species is native to Southern Africa and Yemen. It is a documented invasive species in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, southern Europe, and China. The ...

'', '' Lolium multiflorum'', '' Paspalum dilatatum'', '' Pennisetum clandestinum'', ''

Sorghum sudanense ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many other ...

'', '' Digitaria sanguinalis'', '' Bromus carinatus'', '' Dactylis glomerata'', '' Agrostis palustris'', '' Festuca myuros'', '' Festuca rubra'', ''

Agropyron cristatum ''Agropyron cristatum'', the crested wheat grass, crested wheatgrass, fairway crested wheat grass, is a species in the family Poaceae. This plant is often used as forage and erosion control. It is well known as a widespread introduced species o ...

'' and '' Poa pratensis''. They live in shelters made of rolled or tied leaves.

Subspecies

*''Lon melane melane'' (California) *''Lon melane poa'' (Evans, 1955) (Costa Rica) *''Lon melane vitellina'' (Herrich-Schäffer, 1869) (Mexico)

References

Butterflies described in 1869 Lon Butterflies of North America {{hesperiinae-stub