Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Orange-headed Roadside-Skipper
Amblyscirtes phylace (W.H. Edwards, 1878)


Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Fringes are cream-colored and not checkered, head and palpi are orange. Upperside is brown-black with no markings; male forewing has a small black stigma. Underside is dark brown with no markings.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm).
Life History: To wait for receptive females, males perch all day in bare depressions in gulches.
Flight: One brood from June-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Not reported.
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Open woodland and grassland.
Range: The Rocky Mountains of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and west Texas.
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