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Species Detail
Least Skipper
Ancyloxypha numitor (Fabricius, 1793)
Attributes of Ancyloxypha numitorFamily: Skippers (Hesperiidae) Subfamily: Grass Skippers (Hesperiinae) Identification: Antennae are short. Upperside of forewing is orange with a wide, diffuse black border at the outer margin; hindwing is yellow-orange with a wide black margin. Underside of forewing is black with orange borders at the tip and leading edge; hindwing is yellow-orange. Life history: Males patrol for females with a low, fluttery flight through grassy areas. Females lay eggs singly on grass blades. Caterpillars feed on leaves and rest in nests of rolled or tied leaves. Third- and fourth-stage caterpillars hibernate. Flight: Three broods from May-October in most of the range, four broods from February-December in the Deep South and Texas. Wing span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm). Caterpillar hosts: Various grasses including marsh millet (Zizaniopsis miliacea), rice cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides), and cultivated rice (Oryza sativa). Adult food: Flower nectar from low growing plants such as wood sorrel, swamp verbena, pickerelweed, chickory, and white clover. Habitat: Moist or wet open places with tall grasses, marshes, ditches, slow streams, hillsides, or old fields with tall grasses. Range: Nova Scotia west to southern Saskatchewan; south through the eastern states to Florida, the Gulf states, Texas, and southeastern Arizona. Strays to central Colorado. Conservation: Not usually required. NatureServe Global Status: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. Management needs: None reported. | Documented Records for Ancyloxypha numitor
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