Attributes of Agathymus mariae

Mary's Giant-Skipper
Agathymus mariae (Barnes & Benjamin, 1924)

Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Megathyminae
Identification: Upperside is black-brown with olive scales at the wing bases. Both wings have bands of yellow spots separated by black veins; spot bands of the female are wider. Underside of hindwing is gray with faint dark markings and a sometimes vague light-colored band.
Wing Span: 1 5/8 - 1 7/8 inches (4.2 - 4.8 cm).
Life History: From early morning to noon males perch near host plants to wait for receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on the host and fall to the base of the plant. A young caterpillar crawls to a leaf tip and burrows inside where it eats pulp and then hibernates. In the spring the caterpillar makes a new burrow in a leaf base where it feeds on sap until becoming inactive in the summer. Before pupating, the caterpillar enlarges the opening of its burrow and makes a silk trap door from which the adult can emerge.
Flight: One brood from September-November.
Caterpillar Hosts: Lechuguilla (Agave lechuguilla).
Adult Food: Females do not feed; males sip moisture from mud.
Habitat: Thorn forest and desert hills.
Range: Southern New Mexico, west Texas, and northern Mexico.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:

Images of Agathymus mariae

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Agathymus mariae - agatmari.jpg

Agathymus mariae - agatmari.jpg

The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.

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The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.

Observation Date Submitter Region Verified Datesort icon
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Chihuahua, Mexico December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Coahuila De Zaragoza, Mexico December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Dona Ana County, New Mexico, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Otero County, New Mexico, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Eddy County, New Mexico, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Chaves County, New Mexico, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter El Paso County, Texas, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Hudspeth County, Texas, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Culberson County, Texas, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Texas, Reeves County, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Texas, Presidio County, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Brewster County, Texas, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Texas, Pecos County, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Texas, Terrell County, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Texas, United States, Val Verde County December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Texas, Kinney County, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Texas, United States, Uvalde County December 31, 2004 Details