Attributes of Megathymus streckeri
Strecker's Giant-Skipper
Megathymus streckeri (Skinner, 1895)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Megathyminae
Identification: Forewings are wide. Upperside is black; forewing has white spots near the tip and a yellow band; hindwing has a white to yellow marginal band and long hairlike scales. Underside of hindwing is gray or mottled gray and black, and has few to several white spots.
Wing Span: 2 1/4 - 3 1/16 inches (5.7 - 7.8 cm).
Life History: Females make clicking noises during flight. Adults bask on old yucca stalks with their hindwings spread; the uppersides resemble old seedpods. To await receptive females, males perch and sometimes patrol all day around the host plants. Females glue eggs singly on leaves of the host plant. A young caterpillar burrows into the stem to the root without making a tent. After hibernating in the burrow, the caterpillar surfaces through the stem or soil and constructs a tent of silk, soil, and plant debris in which to pupate. Chrysalids can move about in their tent.
Flight: One brood from May-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Small soapweed (Yucca glauca), Buckley yucca (Y. constricta), fineleaf yucca (Y. angustissima), and Bailey's yucca (Y. baileyi).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed, but males sip moisture from mud.
Habitat: Sand hills, rocky bluffs, short-grass prairie, shrubland, open woodland.
Range: Southeastern Montana and southwestern North Dakota south to South Texas, west to northwestern Arizona and southwestern Utah.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Megathymus streckeri
Click on an image to view full size and to see additional details.
|
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.
Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.
The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
April 30, 2013 | Jeff Trahan | Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States | April 30, 2013 | Details |
 |
June 04, 2005 | stevecary (Mike Stake) | Taos County, New Mexico, United States | January 14, 2011 | Details |
| May 29, 1966 | legacy.reporter (Kilian Roever) | Navajo County, Arizona, United States | January 01, 2011 | Details | |
| May 30, 1966 | legacy.reporter (Kilian Roever) | Navajo County, Arizona, United States | January 01, 2011 | Details | |
| June 15, 1966 | legacy.reporter (Kilian Roever) | Coconino County, Arizona, United States | January 01, 2011 | Details | |
| May 26, 1967 | legacy.reporter (Kilian Roever) | Navajo County, Arizona, United States | January 01, 2011 | Details | |
| May 26, 1967 | legacy.reporter (Kilian Roever) | Navajo County, Arizona, United States | January 01, 2011 | Details | |
| June 25, 1967 | legacy.reporter (Kilian Roever) | Coconino County, Arizona, United States | January 01, 2011 | Details | |
| May 25, 1949 | legacy.reporter (Stallings & Turner) | Navajo County, Arizona, United States | January 01, 2011 | Details | |
| June 04, 1969 | legacy.reporter (Richard Funk) | Navajo County, Arizona, United States | January 01, 2011 | Details | |
| June 24, 2008 | stevekohler (Steve Kohler) | Gallatin County, Montana, United States | March 13, 2009 | Details | |
| June 27, 2008 | stevekohler (Steve Kohler) | Richland County, Montana, United States | March 13, 2009 | Details | |
| June 27, 2008 | stevekohler (Steve Kohler) | Valley County, Montana, United States | March 13, 2009 | Details | |
| June 28, 2008 | stevekohler (Steve Kohler) | Treasure County, Montana, United States | March 13, 2009 | Details | |
| June 14, 2007 | stevekohler (Steve Kohler) | Wibaux County, Montana, United States | January 23, 2008 | Details | |
| June 15, 2007 | stevekohler (Steve Kohler) | Big Horn County, Montana, United States | January 23, 2008 | Details | |
| June 21, 2007 | stevekohler (Steve Kohler) | Lewis And Clark County, Montana, United States | January 23, 2008 | Details | |
| June 22, 2007 | legacy.reporter (Gary Lawson) | Fergus County, Montana, United States | January 23, 2008 | Details | |
| June 24, 2004 | stevekohler (Steve Kohler) | McCone County, Montana, United States | January 23, 2008 | Details | |
| May 28, 2000 | legacy.reporter (Ray E. Stanford) | Logan County, Colorado, United States | May 07, 2007 | Details | |
| June 09, 2006 | legacy.reporter (Andy Warren) | Douglas County, Colorado, United States | May 07, 2007 | Details | |
| June 01, 2000 | legacy.reporter (Ray E. Stanford) | Morrill County, Nebraska, United States | May 07, 2007 | Details | |
| June 01, 2000 | legacy.reporter (Ray E. Stanford) | Box Butte County, Nebraska, United States | May 07, 2007 | Details | |
| June 03, 2000 | legacy.reporter (Ray E. Stanford) | Brown County, Nebraska, United States | May 07, 2007 | Details | |
| June 04, 2000 | legacy.reporter (Ray E. Stanford) | Logan County, Nebraska, United States | May 07, 2007 | Details | |
| June 21, 2003 | legacy.reporter (Gary M. Marrone) | Perkins County, South Dakota, United States | May 07, 2007 | Details | |
| June 12, 2004 | legacy.reporter (Bryan Reynolds) | Golden Valley County, North Dakota, United States | May 07, 2007 | Details | |
| July 24, 2005 | legacy.reporter (Bryan Reynolds) | McKenzie County, North Dakota, United States | May 07, 2007 | Details | |
| July 11, 2006 | legacy.reporter (Steven J. Kohler) | Powder River County, Montana, United States | May 07, 2007 | Details | |
| June 14, 2004 | legacy.reporter (Kilian Roever) | Natrona County, Wyoming, United States | May 07, 2007 | Details | |
| June 14, 2006 | legacy.reporter (Bordelon/Knudson) | Eastland County, Texas, United States | November 14, 2006 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Rock County, Nebraska, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Arthur County, Nebraska, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Keya Paha County, Nebraska, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Dawson County, Nebraska, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Keith County, Nebraska, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Cherry County, Nebraska, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Thomas County, Nebraska, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Garden County, Nebraska, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Dawes County, Nebraska, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Sheridan County, Nebraska, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Mohave County, Arizona, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Coconino County, Arizona, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Coconino County, Arizona, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Navajo County, Arizona, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Apache County, Arizona, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Apache County, Arizona, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Weld County, Colorado, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Washington County, Colorado, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Yuma County, Colorado, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details |
