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
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 336 verified sightings
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
Observation date: Jun 11, 2017
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 22, 2018
Observation date: Aug 15, 2017
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 17, 2018
Observation date: Aug 23, 2017
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 15, 2018
Observation date: Jun 03, 2018
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 15, 2018
Observation date: Jun 10, 2018
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 15, 2018
Observation date: Aug 11, 2018
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Jasper County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 15, 2018
Observation date: Sep 01, 2018
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Georgetown County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 15, 2018
Observation date: Aug 16, 2018
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 15, 2018
Observation date: Sep 17, 2018
Submitted by: rob77897@gmail.com
Region: Taylor County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 13, 2018
Observation date: Sep 19, 2018
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 13, 2018
Observation date: Aug 15, 2018
Submitted by: MadameX
Region: Lancaster County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 21, 2018
Observation date: Jun 10, 2018
Submitted by: Alexis Powell
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 21, 2018
Observation date: Jun 20, 2018
Submitted by: Alexis Powell
Region: Lyon County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 21, 2018
Observation date: Jun 02, 2018
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Hempstead County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 19, 2018
Observation date: Jun 02, 2018
Submitted by: wallap74
Region: Hempstead County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 13, 2018
Observation date: May 20, 2018
Submitted by: H Hooper
Region: Wakulla County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 28, 2018
Observation date: May 20, 2018
Submitted by: H Hooper
Region: Wakulla County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 28, 2018
Observation date: Aug 29, 2013
Submitted by: sedges
Region: Georgia, Stephens County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Nov 05, 2017
Observation date: Aug 19, 2017
Submitted by: John Demko
Region: Allendale County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 22, 2017
Observation date: Jul 18, 2017
Submitted by: Kimberly Mrozinski
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 20, 2017
Observation date: Jul 06, 2017
Submitted by: CA Ivy
Region: Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 08, 2017
Observation date: Jul 12, 2016
Submitted by: CA Ivy
Region: Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 14, 2016
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