Species Detail

Salt Marsh Skipper

Panoquina panoquin (Scudder, 1864)

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Attributes of Panoquina panoquin

Family: Skippers (Hesperiidae)

Subfamily: Grass Skippers (Hesperiinae)

Identification: Forewings are pointed. Wings are dark brown. Upperside of forewing has a few pale spots. Underside of hindwing has yellow veins and a short white bar at the end of the cell.

Life history: Males perch to wait for receptive females.

Flight: Two broods from May-August in the north; three broods from April-October in the south; several broods from February-December in Florida.

Wing span: 1 3/16 - 1 1/2 inches (3.5 - 3.9 cm).

Caterpillar hosts: Seashore saltgrass (Distichlis spicata).

Adult food: Nectar from flowers including privet, sweet pepperbush, red clover, gumweed, lippia, salt marsh fleabane, blue mistflower, thistle, and verbena.

Habitat: Coastal salt and brackish marshes, occasionally nearby fields and wood edges.

Range: Along the immediate Atlantic Coast from Long Island, New York south to Florida and the Keys; west along the Gulf Coast to South Texas.

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.