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Euphyes arpa

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Euphyes arpa

Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Euphyes
Species:
E. arpa
Binomial name
Euphyes arpa
Synonyms
  • Hesperia arpa Boisduval & Le Conte, [1837]
  • Limochores arpa Dyar, 1903[3]
  • Atrytone arpa

Euphyes arpa, the palmetto skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae.

Description

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The wingspan is 41–49 mm.

Ecology

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The larvae feed on the fronds of the palm species Serenoa repens, the saw palmetto, and live in silken tubes at the frond base.[4] The species overwinters in the larval stage.[4]

Adults feed on flower nectar from various plants, including the pickerelweeds (genus Pontederia).[4] Adult males perch in sedge marshes to await females.[4]

Habitat is generally moist with low palmetto scrub, including open pine flats, and forested scrub/shrub wetlands, with a necessary abundance of saw palmetto.[1][5]

Range

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E. arpa is found in most of Florida, and immediately adjacent Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, possibly established resident only in Florida and Mississippi.[1]

Brood

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Adults occur in most of Florida from about March to November, apparently with several broods per year.[1]

Conservation status

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The species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List.[6] NatureServe ranks the species with a rounded global conservation status of G3: vulnerable.[1] The species may be extirpated in the Florida Keys.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Schweitzer, DF (2004). "Comprehensive Report Species – Euphyes arpa". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe Inc. Retrieved 1 January 2014.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Euphyes arpa". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  3. ^ Euphyes at funet
  4. ^ a b c d "Butterflies and Moths of North America". Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  5. ^ Allen, Thomas J. (2005). A Field Guide to Caterpillars. Oxford University Press. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-19-803413-1.
  6. ^ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Retrieved 18 December 2013. (Search for Euphyes arpa to verify non-assessment).
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  • Watercolor of larval, chrysalis and adult forms by John Abbott:
Boisduval, Jean; LeConte, John (1833). Histoire générale et iconigraphie des lépidoptè et des chenilles de l'Amérique septentrionale (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: Librairie Encyclopédique De Roret. p. 363 (plate 68).