Attributes of Pyrgus communis
Common Checkered-Skipper
Pyrgus communis (Grote, 1872)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Upperside of male is blue-gray; female is black. Both sexes have large white spots which form median bands across both wings. Fringes of male checkered but black checks often reach only halfway to edge of fringe. Male has a costal fold enclosing scent scales on the upperside of the forewing. Underside is dull white with dark gray or olive bands. Spots of the hindwing marginal row are very small; spots of the submarginal row are larger. This species is separated from the white checkered skipper with confidence only by dissection and examination of the male genitalia.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/2 inches (2.5 - 3.8 cm).
Life History: Males patrol in swales most actively in the afternoon, and mating takes place then. Females lay eggs singly on leaf buds and tops of leaves. Adults roost exposed on a tall plant beginning in late afternoon. Caterpillars make folded-leaf nests in which they live and feed, and fully-grown caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: February-October in the Deep South, March-September in the north.
Caterpillar Hosts: Several plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae) including globemallows (Sphaeralcea), mallow (Malva), hollyhock (Althaea), alkali mallows (Sida), velvet-leaf (Abutilon), and poppy mallow (Callirhoe).
Adult Food: Nectar from white-flowered composites including shepherd\'s needles, fleabane, and asters; also red clover, knapweed, beggar\'s ticks, and many others.
Habitat: Open, sunny places with low vegetation and some bare soil including prairies, meadows, fields, roadsides, landfills, yards, gardens, pastures, openings and trails in woods.
Range: Most of the temperate United States south to Gulf coast, w. Texas, se. Arizona, southern California, and mountains of northern Mexico. Colonizes as far north as central Alberta, southern Ontario, and southern New England. It cannot survive very cold winters and may not be a permanent resident north of the 40th parallel.
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.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Pyrgus communis
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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.
By default, the fifty most recently verified sightings are below. Sort by Observation Date to see the most recent sightings, or filter the sightings by region to get a regional list.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
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May 24, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | May 26, 2013 | Details |
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May 01, 2013 | gunhilda | Payne County, Oklahoma, United States | May 01, 2013 | Details |
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September 17, 2011 | rogerdowner | Erie County, Ohio, United States | April 12, 2013 | Details |
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November 17, 2012 | jeffmci9 | Texas, Travis County, United States | March 19, 2013 | Details |
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November 03, 2003 | Wendell Hise | Logan County, Arkansas, United States | March 14, 2013 | Details |
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October 20, 2012 | Ken Cheeks | Richmond County, Georgia, United States | January 30, 2013 | Details |
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November 01, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 29, 2013 | Details |
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November 02, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 29, 2013 | Details |
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November 04, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 29, 2013 | Details |
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November 06, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 29, 2013 | Details |
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November 08, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 29, 2013 | Details |
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November 09, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 29, 2013 | Details |
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October 18, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
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October 22, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
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October 23, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
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October 28, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
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October 28, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
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November 10, 2012 | CA Ivy | Adair County, Oklahoma, United States | January 05, 2013 | Details |
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December 02, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | December 30, 2012 | Details |
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September 23, 2012 | Doug Bruce | Overton County, Tennessee, United States | December 30, 2012 | Details |
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October 04, 2012 | Doug Bruce | Roane County, Tennessee, United States | December 30, 2012 | Details |
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October 17, 2012 | Doug Bruce | Loudon County, Tennessee, United States | December 30, 2012 | Details |
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October 23, 2012 | Doug Bruce | Hancock County, Tennessee, United States | December 30, 2012 | Details |
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October 23, 2012 | Doug Bruce | Claiborne County, Tennessee, United States | December 30, 2012 | Details |
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November 03, 2012 | Doug Bruce | Rhea County, Tennessee, United States | December 30, 2012 | Details |
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November 10, 2012 | Doug Bruce | Fentress County, Tennessee, United States | December 30, 2012 | Details |
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November 14, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | December 29, 2012 | Details |
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November 29, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | December 29, 2012 | Details |
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November 28, 2012 | TeddyKuma | Texas, Lampasas County, United States | December 27, 2012 | Details |
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December 09, 2012 | TeddyKuma | Texas, Lampasas County, United States | December 27, 2012 | Details |
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November 03, 2012 | Ken Cheeks | Aiken County, South Carolina, United States | December 25, 2012 | Details |
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November 18, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | December 22, 2012 | Details |
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November 18, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | December 22, 2012 | Details |
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December 05, 2012 | Ellen | Coryell County, Texas, United States | December 16, 2012 | Details |
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June 29, 2012 | John429 | Wayne County, Michigan, United States | December 10, 2012 | Details |
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September 29, 2012 | Dave Kinney | Wexford County, Michigan, United States | December 10, 2012 | Details |
| March 10, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| March 28, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Jefferson County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 01, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Cleburne County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 11, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Mobile County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 13, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Jefferson County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| July 28, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Jefferson County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 12, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Mobile County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 18, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Baldwin County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 20, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Baldwin County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 26, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Perry County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| September 01, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Jefferson County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| September 22, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | DeKalb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| September 29, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Jefferson County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| October 04, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Jefferson County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details |
