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Eufala Skipper Lerodea eufala Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 9-30-06. © Ron Hemberger Back to Butterflies of Orange County, California |
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Characteristics: Light brown with pale white spots on DFW. VW with a faint white scale overlay. Forewing length 13-14 mm. Similar Species: This species could be easily confused with the Wandering Skipper (Panoquina panoquinoides which has a yellowish cast. Distribution: The Eufala Skipper has a spotty distribution throughout lowland Orange County; it is never common. Flight Period: Emmel and Emmel (1973) list the flight period for coastal colonies as August to October. However, we have local records for June and July (captured also in May, 1977 by JL) and one record each for April and February. Two broods probably occur. Larval Foodplants: Reported to be grasses. As for 80 many skipper butterflies, the actual species utilized have not been reported, due primarily to the difficulty of identifying grasses. Other Remarks: On the west side of Upper Newport Bay in August of 1972, I sighted 4-7 Eufala Skippers on Heliotropium sp. flowers over a period of about one hour. This is as abundant as I have ever seen the species. The Eufala Skipper occurs principally in vacant lots and other semi-disturbed land. Text from Orsak, L. J. (1977). The Butterflies of Orange County, California. Center for Pathobiology Miscellaneous Publication #3. University of California Press, New York. 349pp. Return to Butterflies and their larval foodplants |
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