Lon melane | |
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Species: | L. melane |
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Lon melane (Edwards, 1869) [1] | |
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Lon melane, also known as the umber skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in California (west of the Sierra Nevada divide), southern Arizona, Baja California, the highlands of Mexico and Central America. [2] The habitat consists of desert foothills, grassy areas, streamsides, roadsides, yards, parks and open oak woodland.
The wingspan is 32–35 mm. The wings are umber brown, the forewing with a darker disc and pale spots and the hindwing with a light yellow-brown band. There are two generations per year with adults on wing from March to May and again from September to October. They feed on flower nectar.
The larvae feed on the leaves of various grasses, including Cynodon dactylon , Deschampsia caespitosa , Lamarckia aurea , Stenotaphrum secundatum , Carex spissa , Phyllostachys bambusoides , Ehrharta erecta , Lolium multiflorum , Paspalum dilatatum , Pennisetum clandestinum , Sorghum sudanense , Digitaria sanguinalis , Bromus carinatus , Dactylis glomerata , Agrostis palustris , Festuca myuros , Festuca rubra , Agropyron cristatum and Poa pratensis . They live in shelters made of rolled or tied leaves.
Forage is a plant material eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially as hay or silage.
The meadow brown is a butterfly found in the Palearctic realm. Its range includes Europe south of 62°N, Russia eastwards to the Urals, Asia Minor, Iraq, Iran, North Africa and the Canary Islands. The larvae feed on grasses.
The gatekeeper or hedge brown is a European species of butterfly. Given its preference for warmer weather, the restriction of range expansion can be assumed to be due to climate. Colonies vary in size depending on the available habitat, and can range from a few dozen to several thousand butterflies.
Poa is a genus of about 570 species of grasses, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Common names include meadow-grass, bluegrass, tussock, and speargrass. Poa is Greek for "fodder". Poa are members of the subfamily Pooideae of the family Poaceae.
The ringlet is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is only one of the numerous "ringlet" butterflies in the tribe Satyrini.
The small mountain ringlet or mountain ringlet is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in mountainous regions of southern and central Europe.
Poanes is a genus of skipper butterflies distributed throughout North and Central America. The larvae feed on grasses and sedges. The genus was erected by Samuel Hubbard Scudder in 1872.
Deschampsia cespitosa, commonly known as tufted hairgrass or tussock grass, is a perennial tufted plant in the grass family Poaceae. Distribution of this species is widespread including the eastern and western coasts of North America, parts of South America, Eurasia and Australia.
The Zabulon skipper is a North American butterfly first described by the French naturalists Jean Baptiste Boisduval and John Eatton Le Conte from the state of Georgia, United States.
Erebia euryale, the large ringlet, is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Nymphalidae.
Festuca idahoensis is a species of grass known by the common names Idaho fescue and blue bunchgrass. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread and common. It can be found in many ecosystems, from shady forests to open plains grasslands.
Lasiommata maera, the large wall brown, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.
Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennial plants, most species live more than one season. Tussock grasses are often found as forage in pastures and ornamental grasses in gardens.
The Hobomok skipper is a North American butterfly of the family Hesperiidae.
Erebia melampus, the lesser mountain ringlet, is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae.
Polites sabuleti, the sandhill skipper or saltgrass skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found from southern British Columbia and eastern Washington, south through California and northern Arizona to Baja California and east to south-eastern Wyoming, central Colorado, and north-eastern New Mexico. It is an introduced species in Hawaii.
Poanes yehl, the Yehl skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found from southeastern Virginia west to southwestern Missouri and south to eastern Texas, the Gulf Coast and northern Florida.
Ochlodes sylvanoides, the woodland skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America from British Columbia south to southern California, east to Montana, Colorado and Arizona.
Lon is a genus of skipper butterflies found in North and South America. The genus was erected in 2019 by Nick V. Grishin. The name derives from the last syllable of the type species name.