Common Sootywing
Pholisora catullus (Fabricius, 1793)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Upperside is glossy black with small white spots on outer third of forewing. Female has more white spots on the forewing than the male, and a submarginal row of spots on the hindwing. Underside of forewing repeats the upperside; hindwing is solid black.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 5/16 inches (2.5 - 3.3 cm).
Life History: Adults bask with the wings spread open. To find receptive females, males patrol near the ground in sunny places; mating takes place in the morning and afternoon. Near midday, females lay eggs singly on the tops of host plant leaves. Caterpillars live and feed within shelters of folded leaves. Caterpillars of the second brood overwinter in their silk-lined leaf shelters and pupate within them in the spring.
Flight: Two broods; from May-August in the north, March-November in Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: Lambsquarters (Chenopodium album), amaranths (Amaranthus), and cockscomb (Celosia).
Adult Food: Nectar from many flowers including dogbane, marjoram, oxalis, white clover, common milkweed, peppermint, cucumber, and melon.
Habitat: Open or disturbed areas such as landfills, vacant lots, gardens, roadsides, fields, and pastures.
Range: Central United States south to central Mexico. Strays and colonizes to southern British Columbia, northern Michigan, southern Quebec, and southern Maine. Does not occur in peninsular Florida.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 385 - 408 of 2900 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 26, 2013
Submitted by: GSSpicer
Region: Catoosa County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 13, 2013
Observation date: May 07, 2013
Submitted by: Ansel Oommen
Region: Queens County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: May 10, 2013
Observation date: May 07, 2013
Submitted by: Ansel Oommen
Region: Queens County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: May 08, 2013
Observation date: Apr 14, 2013
Submitted by: ms722
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: stephen stedman
Verified date: Apr 18, 2013
Observation date: Aug 14, 2011
Submitted by: Dave Rintoul
Region: Riley County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 16, 2013
Observation date: May 26, 1991
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Kilian Roever)
Region: Navajo County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Aug 27, 2012
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Jerry Green)
Region: Colbert County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Jun 25, 1984
Submitted by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Region: Eureka County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: May 14, 1992
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Ray Stanford)
Region: Gila County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Aug 25, 2012
Submitted by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Region: Cleburne County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Aug 22, 1990
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (George T. Austin)
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Mar 09, 1998
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Ray Stanford)
Region: Yuma County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Sep 03, 2012
Submitted by: aahewetson
Region: Texas, Winkler County, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Nov 04, 2012
Observation date: Aug 19, 2012
Submitted by: digibug
Region: Windham County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: Kent McFarland
Verified date: Oct 30, 2012
Observation date: Jul 25, 2012
Submitted by: gaudettelaura@h...
Region: Windham County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: Kent McFarland
Verified date: Oct 29, 2012
Observation date: Sep 19, 2012
Submitted by: Mthew
Region: Kings County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 21, 2012
Observation date: Sep 05, 2012
Submitted by: jwilkinson
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Sep 16, 2012
Observation date: Aug 25, 2012
Submitted by: skenaga
Region: Madison County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Sep 16, 2012
Observation date: Sep 04, 2012
Submitted by: Becky Byrum
Region: Delaware County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Sep 05, 2012
Observation date: Aug 30, 2012
Submitted by: Howell_Curtis
Region: Washington County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Sep 01, 2012
Observation date: Aug 25, 2012
Submitted by: dspicer
Region: McMinn County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: stephen stedman
Verified date: Aug 28, 2012
Observation date: Jun 14, 2008
Submitted by: cheins
Region: Carver County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 26, 2012
Observation date: Aug 16, 2012
Submitted by: Tee-tee
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 24, 2012
Observation date: Aug 11, 2012
Submitted by: aarongunnar
Region: La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 22, 2012
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