The Zabulon skipper (''Lon zabulon'') (sometimes called the southern dimorphic skipperJames A. Scott (1986). ''The Butterflies of North America''. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA. ) is a North American

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

first described by the French naturalists Jean Baptiste Boisduval and

John Eatton Le Conte John Eatton Le Conte, Jr. (sometimes John Eatton LeConte or John Eaton Leconte) (February 22, 1784 – November 21, 1860) was an American naturalist. He was born near Shrewsbury, New Jersey, the son of John Eatton Le Conte and Jane Sloane ...

from the state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States.

Description

This small butterfly has slim, triangular wings. The upperside of the male's wings is mostly orange with the margins being dark brown. The underside of the male's wings is mainly yellow orange with the margins being dark brown.Rick Cech and Guy Tudor (2005). ''Butterflies of the East Coast''. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. There is a yellow basal spot enclosed with brown.Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman (2003). ''Butterflies of North America''. Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY. The upperside of the female's wings is dark brown with large, glassy spots near the forewing outer margin. The underside of the female's wings is a brownish-burgundy color with the hindwing having a white streak on the costal edge. The wing margins are broadly frosted. The wingspan measures to inches (35–41 mm)."Zabulon Skipper,"
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Similar species

Female Zabulon Skipper, Megan McCarty119

The only similar species in the Zabulon skipper's range is the Hobomok skipper. The Hobomok skipper has a more northern range and different flight period than the Zabulon skipper. They also have more rounded wings. The upperside of the male Hobomok skipper's wings has thicker dark margins. The underside of the male's hindwing lacks the enclosed yellow basal spot. While the female Zabulon skipper has one form, the female Hobomok skipper has two; the normal form and the ''pocahontas'' form. The upperside of the ''pocahontas'' form has smaller glassy spots and has one glassy spot near the forewing costa.

Distribution

This species ranges from Wisconsin east to the East Coast, south to Georgia, Texas, and Panama.

Habitat

The Zabulon skipper can be found in a wide range of habitats such as woodland edges, woodland openings, and near roads, especially if there are streams nearby. It can adapt to other habitats including suburban areas, parks, and gardens.

Flight

This butterfly is on the wing from March to April and again in August to October in the south; and from May to July and again in August to September in the north.

Life cycle

Males perch all day in search for females. Usually, courtship takes place in the afternoon. However, it will occasionally happen as early as 8:20 a.m. Females lay their

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

singly on the underside of host plant leaves. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

is either brown or green, both sometimes having a pinkish hue. It is often indistinguishable from closely related larvae.Allen J. Thomas, Jim P. Brock, and Jeffrey Glassberg (2005). ''Caterpillars in the Field and Garden.'' Oxford University Press, New York, NY. The chrysalis is often formed inside a leaf shelter. It is brown with the abdomen being a lighter brown and having small black dots. The overwintering stage is unknown. The Zabulon skipper has two broods per year.

Host plants

Recorded food plants of the caterpillars are

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

es such as '' Agrostis'', '' Dactylis'', '' Elytrigia'', ''

Eragrostis ''Eragrostis'' is a large and widespread genus of plants in the grass family, found in many countries on all inhabited continents and many islands. ''Eragrostis'' is commonly known as lovegrass or canegrass. The name of the genus is derived fr ...

'', ''

Leymus ''Leymus'' is a genus of plants in the grass family Poaceae (Gramineae). It is widespread across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. * ''Leymus aemulans'' - Xinjiang, Central Asia * ''Leymus ajanensis'' - Siberia, Russian Far East, Alaska * '' Ley ...

'', '' Poa'', ''

Puccinellia ''Puccinellia'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, known as alkali grass or salt grass. These grasses grow in wet environments, often in saline or alkaline conditions. They are native to temperate to Arctic regions of the Northern and S ...

'' and '' Tridens''.

References

External links

Zabulon Skipper
Butterflies of Canada
Zabulon Skipper
Butterflies and Moths of North America {{Taxonbar, from=Q97369546, from2=Q8063645 Lon Butterflies of North America Butterflies described in 1837