Tawny-edged Skipper (Butterflies of Fundy National Park of Canada / Les papillons du parc national du Canada Fundy)

Tawny-edged Skipper

Polites themistocles

Summary ⁷

The Tawny-edged Skipper (Polites themistocles) is a North American butterfly in the family Hesperiidae.

General description ⁸

The combination of the sex patch on the male forewing and brown, unmarked hindwing serve to distinguish the tawny-edged Skipper from other branded skippers (those species with a prominent, black dash in the middle of the forewing). The only species with a similar underside is the Dun Skipper, which lacks the contrasting orange forewing markings. Subspecies turneri, found in the southwestern foothills, has darker brown hindwings (ventrally and dorsally) than subspecies themistocles of the parkland region (Kondla 2001).

Distribution ⁹

This species is widely distributed throughout eastern North America, occurring west to central BC and northern Washington, and south along the Rocky Mountain front ranges to Arizona and New Mexico (Opler 1999). Primarily a species of the aspen parkland and fescue grassland in Alberta, ranging north to the Edmonton area.

Habitat ¹⁰

Lush, moist habitats with native grasses.

Migration ¹¹

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Flowering plants visited by polites themistocles in illinois ¹²

Polites themistocles Latreille: Hesperiidae, Lepidoptera
(observations are from Robertson, Graenicher, Clinebell, Stoutamire, and Krannitz & Maun; this is the Tawny-Edged Skipper)

Alismataceae: Sagittaria latifolia stam sn; Apiaceae: Eryngium yuccifolium sn (Rb), Oxypolis rigidior sn (Rb), Pastinaca sativa sn (Rb); Asclepiadaceae: Asclepias incarnata plpr sn, Asclepias purpurascens plab sn, Asclepias sullivanti plab sn, Asclepias syriaca plab sn, Asclepias verticillata plab sn; Asteraceae: Arctium lappa sn (Gr), Aster drummondii sn (Gr), Aster pilosus sn (Rb), Bidens aristosa sn (Rb), Boltonia asterioides sn (Rb), Cirsium altissimum sn (Gr), Cirsium arvense sn (Gr), Cirsium vulgare sn fq (Rb, Gr), Conoclinium coelestinum sn (Rb), Coreopsis palmata sn (Rb), Coreopsis tripteris sn (Rb), Echinacea pallida sn fq (Rb, Cl), Erigeron philadelphicus sn (Rb, Gr), Eupatorium altissimum sn (Rb), Eupatorium serotinum sn fq (Rb), Euthamia graminifolia sn (Rb), Helenium autumnale sn (Rb, Gr), Helianthus annuus sn (Rb), Helianthus divaricatus sn (Rb), Heliopsis helianthoides sn (Gr), Liatris aspera (Cl), Liatris pycnostachya sn fq (Rb), Liatris spicata sn (Gr), Rudbeckia laciniata sn (Rb), Rudbeckia subtomentosa sn (Rb), Silphium perfoliatum sn (Rb), Tanacetum vulgare sn (Gr), Vernonia fasciculata sn (Rb); Campanulaceae: Lobelia spicata sn (Rb); Caprifoliaceae: Symphoricarpos occidentalis sn (Gr); Viburnum opulus (KM); Cornaceae: Cornus obliqua sn (Rb); Fabaceae: Dalea purpurea sn (Rb), Lespedeza virginica sn np (Rb), Melilotus alba sn (Rb), Trifolium pratense sn (Rb), Trifolium repens sn fq (Rb); Iridaceae: Iris versicolor shrevei sn np (Rb); Lamiaceae: Blephilia ciliata sn (Rb), Prunella vulgaris sn (Rb), Pycnanthemum tenuifolium sn (Rb), Stachys palustris sn np (Rb); Lythraceae: Lythrum alatum sn (Rb); Onagraceae: Oenothera pilosella sn (Rb); Orchidaceae: Cypripedium reginae exp np (Stm); Polemoniaceae: Phlox divaricata laphamii sn (Rb); Polygonaceae: Fallopia scandens sn (Rb), Persicaria pensylvanica sn (Rb); Rosaceae: Rubus flagellaris sn (Rb), Rubus occidentalis sn (Rb); Rubiaceae: Cephalanthus occidentalis sn fq (Rb); Scrophulariaceae: Linaria vulgaris sn np (Rb); Verbenaceae: Phyla lanceolata sn (Rb), Verbena stricta sn fq (Rb)
Insect activities:
exp = explores the flower, but acquires neither nectar nor pollen
fq = frequent flower visitor (about 6 or more visits reported)
np = non-pollinating
sn = sucks nectar

Scientific observers:
(Cl) = Clinebell
(Gr) = S. Graenicher
(KM) = Kranitz & Maun
(Rb) = Charles Robertson
(Stm) = W.P. Stoutamire

Conservation status ¹³

No conservation concerns.

Sources and Credits

(c) Bill Bouton, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/billbouton/2231516155/
(c) Mary Keim, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/6063744222_587bd222dc.jpg
(c) Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/specimen_images/ent-lepidoptera/images/2011_11_18/IMG_107147.JPG
(c) Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/specimen_images/ent-lepidoptera/images/2011_11_18/IMG_107150.JPG
(c) Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/specimen_images/ent-lepidoptera/images/2011_11_18/IMG_107148.JPG
(c) Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/specimen_images/ent-lepidoptera/images/2014_03_28/IMG_171818.JPG
(c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polites_themistocles
(c) University of Alberta Museums, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/31887524
(c) University of Alberta Museums, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/31887523
(c) University of Alberta Museums, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/31887525
(c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28820675
(c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/32697760
(c) University of Alberta Museums, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/31887521

More Info

Range Map

iNaturalist.ca Map

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