Common Sootywing
Pholisora catullus (Fabricius, 1793)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Upperside is glossy black with small white spots on outer third of forewing. Female has more white spots on the forewing than the male, and a submarginal row of spots on the hindwing. Underside of forewing repeats the upperside; hindwing is solid black.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 5/16 inches (2.5 - 3.3 cm).
Life History: Adults bask with the wings spread open. To find receptive females, males patrol near the ground in sunny places; mating takes place in the morning and afternoon. Near midday, females lay eggs singly on the tops of host plant leaves. Caterpillars live and feed within shelters of folded leaves. Caterpillars of the second brood overwinter in their silk-lined leaf shelters and pupate within them in the spring.
Flight: Two broods; from May-August in the north, March-November in Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: Lambsquarters (Chenopodium album), amaranths (Amaranthus), and cockscomb (Celosia).
Adult Food: Nectar from many flowers including dogbane, marjoram, oxalis, white clover, common milkweed, peppermint, cucumber, and melon.
Habitat: Open or disturbed areas such as landfills, vacant lots, gardens, roadsides, fields, and pastures.
Range: Central United States south to central Mexico. Strays and colonizes to southern British Columbia, northern Michigan, southern Quebec, and southern Maine. Does not occur in peninsular Florida.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 2860 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 13, 2022
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 16, 2022
Observation date: Jul 03, 2022
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 13, 2022
Observation date: Jul 09, 2022
Submitted by: Joshua C
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 13, 2022
Observation date: Jul 08, 2022
Submitted by: Marta Reece
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 12, 2022
Observation date: Jul 05, 2022
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 10, 2022
Observation date: Jul 04, 2022
Submitted by: Gordon Berman
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 06, 2022
Observation date: Aug 07, 2009
Submitted by: Dwaine Wagoner
Region: Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Jun 18, 2022
Submitted by: tjay13
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Jun 11, 2022
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 13, 2022
Observation date: Jul 12, 2021
Submitted by: Gardenguy90
Region: Polk County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 31, 2022
Observation date: May 27, 2022
Submitted by: Bettybutterfly1
Region: Burlington County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 31, 2022
Observation date: May 14, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 14, 2022
Observation date: May 14, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 14, 2022
Observation date: Apr 26, 2022
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 05, 2022
Observation date: Jul 27, 2021
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Apr 10, 2022
Observation date: Jul 08, 2021
Submitted by: vic77
Region: Dickinson County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 03, 2022
Observation date: Apr 23, 2019
Submitted by: reupurtbones
Region: Warren County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jan 03, 2022
Observation date: Apr 22, 2019
Submitted by: reupurtbones
Region: Warren County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jan 03, 2022
Observation date: Aug 04, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 18, 2021
Observation date: Sep 04, 2021
Submitted by: Joshua C
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 12, 2021
Observation date: Aug 30, 2021
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 10, 2021
Observation date: Aug 26, 2021
Submitted by: Aner
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 09, 2021
Observation date: Aug 26, 2021
Submitted by: beastbreath
Region: Ingham County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 28, 2021
Observation date: Jul 28, 2021
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Montour County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 19, 2021
- ‹ previous
- 3 of 120
- next ›