Byssus Skipper
Problema byssus (W.H. Edwards, 1880)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Upperside is bright yellow-orange with black borders and a black bar at the end of the cell. Females are much darker than males. Underside of hindwing is dull yellow in males and rust or orange in females; both with a band of pale spots.
Wing Span: 1 7/16 - 1 13/16 inches (3.7 - 4.6 cm).
Life History: Females lay eggs singly on host plant leaves. Caterpillars live in shelters of rolled or tied leaves, feed on leaves, and overwinter in their fourth stage of development. After completing their growth in the spring, the caterpillars pupate in dense silk cocoons in litter at the base of the host plant.
Flight: One brood from June-July in the Midwest; two broods from April-October along the Atlantic Coast.
Caterpillar Hosts: Eastern grama grass (Tripsacum dactyloides).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including pickerelweed.
Habitat: Tall-grass prairie in the Midwest, edges of coastal marshes along the Atlantic Coast.
Range: Along the Atlantic coastal plain from North Carolina south to Florida and the Gulf States; and in the Midwest from northern Indiana west to Iowa and south to Missouri and Kansas.
Conservation: Populations should be conserved wherever found.
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: Extirpation of local populations should be avoided by avoiding or limiting the use of fire as a management tool.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 25 - 48 of 334 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 05, 2020
Submitted by: Julius
Region: Newton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Jul 13, 2020
Observation date: Jun 27, 2020
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Howard County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 30, 2020
Observation date: Jun 10, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 15, 2020
Observation date: Jun 07, 2020
Submitted by: CA Ivy
Region: Franklin County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 08, 2020
Observation date: Jun 03, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 05, 2020
Observation date: Jun 03, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 05, 2020
Observation date: Aug 26, 2019
Submitted by: AmyandLeigh
Region: Taylor County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 01, 2019
Observation date: Aug 27, 2019
Submitted by: AmyandLeigh
Region: Taylor County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 01, 2019
Observation date: Aug 10, 2019
Submitted by: misspt
Region: Perry County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 11, 2019
Observation date: Aug 10, 2019
Submitted by: misspt
Region: Perry County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 11, 2019
Observation date: Jun 28, 2019
Submitted by: Eric Wood
Region: Boone County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 10, 2019
Observation date: Jul 27, 2019
Submitted by: robert.emond
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 30, 2019
Observation date: Jul 15, 2019
Submitted by: Matt Beatty
Region: Lake County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Jul 16, 2019
Observation date: Jun 11, 2019
Submitted by: Goatweed
Region: Williamson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 30, 2019
Observation date: Jun 17, 2019
Submitted by: CA Ivy
Region: Franklin County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 26, 2019
Observation date: May 19, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 20, 2019
Observation date: May 18, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 20, 2019
Observation date: Sep 14, 2013
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Calhoun County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 23, 2018
Observation date: Jun 02, 2014
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 23, 2018
Observation date: Jun 10, 2016
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 23, 2018
Observation date: Jun 10, 2016
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 23, 2018
Observation date: Jun 24, 2016
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 23, 2018
Observation date: Aug 07, 2016
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 22, 2018
Observation date: May 28, 2017
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 22, 2018
- ‹ previous
- 2 of 14
- next ›