Butterflies of
North America
Zabulon
Skipper
Poanes zabulon
BOISDUVAL & LE CONTÉ, 1837
Family -
HESPERIIDAE
subfamily -
HESPERIINAE
Tribe
-
Poanes zabulon, male, Tennessee, USA ©
Ken Childs
Introduction
There are 16
species in the genus Poanes, of which
9 occur north of Mexico. A further 6 species are found in various
parts of Central America, and a single species
zachaeus occurs in Surinam.
Poanes zabulon is sexually dimorphic
- males have a distinctive cream and tan underside, while in
females it is brown, marked with faint spots and a bluish margin -
hence the alternative English name of Southern Dimorphic Skipper.
This species is
found central and south-eastern states of the USA.
Habitats
Poanes zabulon is found in open
deciduous woodland, preferring shady areas. It occurs at
altitudes between sea level and at least 1200m.
Lifecycle
The egg is
globular and creamy. It is laid singly on the underside of a grass
blade. The larva lives solitarily. It spends the day
hiding within a shelter constructed by spinning together grass
blades, and crawls up the stem to feed during the night. It
feeds on a wide variety of grasses including
Poa,
Tridens,
Eragrostis, Puccinellia,
Agropyron, Dactylis,
Elymus and
Agrostis. The chrysalis is formed within the larval shelter.
Adult behaviour
Males commonly
imbibe moisture from damp ground. They perch on tall grasses or
on bushes to await passing females. Both sexes take nectar from
a wide variety of herbaceous flowers.
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