Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Dotted Roadside-Skipper
Amblyscirtes eos (W.H. Edwards, 1871)


Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Fringes are white with dark patches at the end of the veins. Upperside is black; forewing has a few very small white spots near the tip and in the center. Underside of hindwing is gray-brown with round white spots that have narrow black borders.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/4 inches (2.2 - 3.2 cm).
Life History: To wait for receptive females, males perch on flat spots near gully bottoms or fly up slopes.
Flight: Several flights from March-October.
Caterpillar Hosts: Probably obtuse panicgrass (Panicum obtusum) in Arizona.
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including Verbena and Astragalus.
Habitat: Canyons, ravines, and roadsides in shortgrass and mixed-grass prairies, oak grassland, and juniper-pinyon woodland.
Range: Southwestern Colorado, southern Kansas, and northeast Texas south to central Arizona, South Texas, and northern Mexico.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL