Ephyriades brunnea, the Florida duskywing skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It was first described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1865. The larvae feed on Barbados cherry (Malpighia emarginata),[1] while wild coffee (Psychotria ligustrifolia) has been noted as an important adult nectar source,[2] along with Bidens alba, Croton granduosus, and Lantana involucrata. The larvae are known to be parasitized by two species of parasitic wasp.[3] It is found in South Florida, inhabiting pine rockland habitats. The species is of conservation concern.
| Ephyriades brunnea | |
|---|---|
_(3-7-13)_male,_Key_West_tropical_forest_and_botanical_garden,_Key_West,_Monroe_County,_FL.jpg)
| |
| In Key West Tropical Forest, Florida, United States | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Ephyriades |
| Species: | E. brunnea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ephyriades brunnea (Herrich-Schäffer, 1865)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Description
editThe duskywing skipper has a wingspan of around 1+7⁄8 inches (48 mm). The dorsal side of the male's wing is dark brown with a sheen, and a circle of white transparent spots near the apex with a broad lighter brown margin on the hindwing. The dorsal side of the female's wing is brown with dark mottling and dark outer margins. Females have larger and more numerous dorsal spots than males. When freshly emerged, both sexes have a purplish sheen on the dorsal side of the forewing. The caterpillar is a small and translucent green. The head is black with orange patches on the sides and upper face. A dark line bordered in yellow is on the back with yellow lines along the sides and multiple small yellow spots.[4]
Conservation
editIn recent years, populations of the butterfly have noticeably declined.[5] By virtue of its specialized habitat requirement, and location in habitats that face threats from sea level rise, the butterfly is considered threatened by climate change.[6] It is listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in Florida’s State Wildlife Action Plan.[7] Despite small population sizes and habitat fragmentation, populations of the butterfly do exhibit moderate genetic diversity and interpopulation gene flow.[8]
The species appears not to be infected by the bacterial reproductive parasite Wolbachia.[8]
References
edit- ^ Tamburo, S. E.; Butcher, F. Gray (June 1955). "Biological Studies of the Florida Dusky Wing Skipper, and a Preliminary Survey of Other Insects on Barbados Cherry". The Florida Entomologist. 38 (2): 65–69. doi:10.2307/3492819. JSTOR 3492819. Archived from the original on 2021-08-06. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ^ M.J., Simon; L.D., Miller (1986). "Observations of the butterflies of Great Inagua Island, Bahamas, with records of three species new to the island". Bulletin of the Allyn Museum (USA). ISSN 0097-3211. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ Tamburo, S. E.; Butcher, F. Gray (1955). "Biological Studies of the Florida Dusky Wing Skipper, and a Preliminary Survey of Other Insects on Barbados Cherry". The Florida Entomologist. 38 (2): 65–69. doi:10.2307/3492819. JSTOR 3492819. Archived from the original on 2017-09-23. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
- ^ "IRC - Natives for Your Neighborhood". regionalconservation.org. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ Daniels, Jaret (2010). "Wings - Florida Butterflies" (PDF). Xerces. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-01-01. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
- ^ Reece, Joshua Steven; Noss, Reed F.; Oetting, Jon; Hoctor, Tom; Volk, Michael (November 19, 2013). "A Vulnerability Assessment of 300 Species in Florida: Threats from Sea Level Rise, Land Use, and Climate Change". PLOS ONE. 8 (11): e80658. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...880658R. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080658. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3834108. PMID 24260447.
- ^ "Florida’s wildlife legacy initiative: Florida’s state wildlife action plan." Tallahassee, Florida, USA. 665pp (2012).
- ^ a b Heffernan, Emily; Markee, Amanda; Truglio, Mary R.; Barkdull, Megan; Steele Cabrera, Sarah; Daniels, Jaret (2023-03-27). "Population Genetic Structure of a Rare Butterfly in a Fragmented South Florida Ecosystem". Insects. 14 (4): 321. doi:10.3390/insects14040321. ISSN 2075-4450. PMC 10143422. PMID 37103136.
 | This Pyrginae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |