Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Orange Giant-Skipper
Agathymus neumoegeni (W.H. Edwards, 1882)


Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Megathyminae
Identification: Upperside is orange to yellow-orange with black borders and black patches. Underside of hindwing is dark gray with a faint pale band.
Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 2 3/8 inches (4.5 - 6.1 cm).
Life History: From early morning to noon males perch near host plants to wait for receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on the host and fall to the base of the plant. A young caterpillar crawls to a leaf tip and burrows inside where it eats pulp and then hibernates. In the spring the caterpillar makes a new burrow in a leaf base where it feeds on sap until becoming inactive for the summer. Before pupating, the caterpillar enlarges the opening of its burrow and makes a silk trap door from which the adult can emerge.
Flight: One brood from September-October.
Caterpillar Hosts: Parry\'s agave (Agave parryi).
Adult Food: Females do not feed; males take moisture at mud or manure.
Habitat: Shrub-grassland or open woodland.
Range: Central Arizona to west-central New Mexico; southern New Mexico to west Texas.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL