Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: 1 - 1½ inches (2.9 - 3.7 cm) UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Male: golden orange with wide dark band.  No stigma. Large orange patch on upper hindwing. Female: forewing orange area smaller; bisected by dark line. Hindwing orange patch smaller. UNDER SURFACE (ventral) Tawny orange; white scaling on hindwing veins.

Egg: Cream-colored; encircled by two irregular-shaped red bands. Deposited singly under host plant leaves.

Caterpillar: Light bluish green; dark green dorsal line. Collar tan with narrow dark band. Head light tan with orange-brown vertical lines. First three pairs of legs (thoracic) pale. Slender.

Chrysalis: Pale tan; wing cases and abdomen lighter.

The Arogos Skipper is extremely rare in Alabama if it still occurs. The last reported sighting was in Mobile County in 1993. It is often confused with the closely related and more commonly encountered Delaware Skipper. 

 

Distribution and Abundance

A dot on the county map indicates that there is at least one documented record of the species within that county. In some cases, a species may be common throughout the county, in others it may be found in only a specific habitat. The High Count information shows the highest numbers recorded for this species as well as when and where they occurred.

The sightings bar graphs depict the timing of flight(s) within each of three geographic regions. Place your cursor on a bar within the graph to see the number of individuals recorded during that period.

The abundance calendar displays the total number of individuals recorded within each week of the month. Both the graphs and the calendar are on based data collection that began in 2000.

The records analyzed here are only a beginning. As more data is collected, these maps and graphs will paint a more accurate picture of distribution and abundance in Alabama. Submit your sightings to albutterflyatlas@gmail.com.

Sightings in the following counties: Mobile

  • Map Symbol for Recent Sightings Sightings in the past 5 years
  • Map Symbol for Semi-Recent Sightings Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
  • Map Symbol for Old Sightings Sightings more than 10 years ago

High count(s):

  • 1 - Mobile - 9/2/1993
County Distribution Map

View county names by moving the mouse over a county or view a map with county names

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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Habitat

Sandhills, pine savannas, flat woods, prairies, and pitcher plant seeps in Florida. The habitat in Mobile County where this skipper was last sighted is not known.

Host and Nectar Plants

Reports from Florida list Toothache Grass (Ctenium aromaticum) in the Panhandle and Lopsided Indian Grass (Sorghastrum secudum) on the peninsula