Apyrrothrix araxes, also known as the dull firetip and the golf-club skipper,[3] is a North American butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is the only butterfly in the subfamily Pyrrhopyginae that occurs in the United States. It is also sometimes found in Mexico.[4] They usually perch with their wings fully or partly open. Adults are very fond of flowers. Their flight is direct and quite fast, usually flying high above trees.[5]
| Apyrrothrix araxes | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Apyrrothrix |
| Species: | A. araxes
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| Binomial name | |
| Apyrrothrix araxes (Hewitson, 1867)
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Description
editThe upper side of the wings is brown with the fore wings having several glassy white spots. The underside of the wings is brown with the body and basal area of the wings bright yellow-orange.[5] The wingspan is between 1 3/4 - 2 1/4 inches or 4.5 - 5.7 centimeters.[4]
Habitat
editThe dull firetip lives in habitats such as southwestern oak woodlands, roadsides, streamsides, and forest trails.[5][4]
Flight
editAdults may be seen from August to November (they are most common in September).[3] There are several broods between June and November.[4]
Life cycle
editThe larvae live in a folded-over leaf nest. The yellow-banded larva is red-brown with white-hairs. The head is black with white and orange hairs. The pupa is brownish-red with maroon joints and the abdomen dull orange. It is covered with white hairs (except on the wing cases) and has orange hairs on the top of the head. The partially grown larva builds a small nest on the host plant where it will overwinter.[3] It has 1 brood per year.[5]
Host plants
editHere is a list of host plants that Apyrrothrix araxes uses:
- Emory oak, Quercus emoryi
- Toumey oak, Quercus toumeyi
- Arizona white oak, Quercus arizonica
- Gray oak, Quercus grisea[3][5]
References
edit- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
- ^ "Apyrrothrix araxes". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d James A. Scott (1986). The Butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA. ISBN 0-8047-2013-4
- ^ a b c d "Dull Firetip Apyrrothrix araxes (Hewitson, 1867) | Butterflies and Moths of North America". www.butterfliesandmoths.org. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
- ^ a b c d e Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman (2003). Butterflies of North America. Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY. ISBN 0-618-15312-8