Lerodea eufala

Lerodea eufala, the Eufala skipper or rice leaffolder, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found from the coast of Georgia, south through Florida and west across the southern United States to southern California, south through Mexico and Central America to Patagonia. In the summer, it expands its range north to central California, North Dakota, southern Wisconsin, northern Michigan and Washington, D.C.

Lerodea eufala
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Hesperiidae
Genus:	Lerodea
Species:	L. eufala
Binomial name
Lerodea eufala (Edwards, 1869)
Synonyms
Hesperia eufala Edwards, 1869 Euphyes eufala Dyar, 1903 Goniloba dispersa Herrich-Schäffer, 1869 Pamphila floridae Mabille, 1876 Carystus micylla Burmeister, 1878 Lerodea eufala floridae var. obscura Lindsey et al., 1931 (nom. nud.) Hesperia fusca Reed, 1877 (preocc. Grote & Robinson, 1869) Lerodea reedi Hayward, [1940]

The wingspan is 25–32 mm. There are two generations, with adults on wing from February to October in the deep south. There are multiple generations throughout the year in Florida, southern Texas and Arizona.

The larvae feed on various grasses including Sorghum halepense, Cynodon dactylon and Saccharum officinarum. Adults feed on the nectar from various flowers including croton, alfalfa, composites and lippia.

Subspecies

• Lerodea eufala eufala
• Lerodea eufala concepcionis - Chile

External links

• Butterflies and Moths of North America