Dusky Roadside-Skipper - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Dusky Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes alternata)

Butterfly: Wingspan: ¾ - 1 inch (2.2 - 2.5 cm.) UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Males black brown with variable forewing spots; females less marked. UNDER SURFACE (ventral) Dusky brown with tiny gray blue flecking across the hindwing. Small wrist bracelet on forewing,usually fairly similar-sized white spots. Wing fringes checkered with white, sometimes subtly. Antennal clubs are often reported as blunt, but short, curved extensions (apiculi) are present when fresh. These may be lost to wear.

Egg: Dome shaped. Whitish; unmarked.

Caterpillar: Green with heavy white frosting; dark line down back. Head straw colored with chestnut edges and two chestnut stripes separated by white; chestnut mark down forehead. Collar pale with thin black ring. First three pairs of legs (thoracic) pale. Mature caterpillars overwinter.

Chrysalis:

Butterfly ID Thumbnail — Get Identification Help

The Dusky Roadside Skipper is one of the most difficult skippers to locate, even in areas where it is known to have an active population. The smallest of the road-side skippers, Duskies are tiny, they are rapid fliers, and they stay close to the ground where they are well camouflaged. They are easily confused with Common and Bell's Roadside-Skippers. Many sources report that Duskies have blunt antennal clubs, lacking the tip (apiculus) that is present on the antennae of other Amblyscirtes species. This is misleading. Dusky Roadside-Skippers have short apiculi when they are fresh, although shorter than those of other roadside-skippers.These structures may be lost to wear as time goes on. For specific information about how to identify Dusky Roadside-Skippers, click the "Get Identification Help" link above.

Dusky Roadside-Skippers share the typical roadside-skipper lifestyle. Like most of the others, they are multi-brooded: in our area; there are probably two flights. Eggs are laid singly on grass leaves, and caterpillars make aerial nests by rolling leaf blades into tubes. At maturity, the caterpillar silks itself into the tube, eventually clips it from the plant, and attaches it to a secure location on the ground. Using tooth-like structures near its mouth, the caterpillar pulls itself and the leaf tube to a satisfactory location and lightly silks the leaf in place. It pupates, head up, within the shelter. Fully mature caterpillars overwinter within the shelter, pupating and emerging the following spring.

This secretive skipper is found in disjunct populations from southeast Virginia south to Florida, and west to E. Texas. In Alabama, Dusky Roadside-Skipper is known from only a few locations.

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: Baldwin, Bibb, Escambia

Sightings in the past 5 years
Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
Sightings more than 10 years ago

High count(s):

2 - Escambia - 4/2/2022
1 - Escambia - 3/13/2018
1 - Baldwin - 3/27/2019

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
1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4
									1		1	2	1

Grassy pine flatwoods, savannas, and sandhills, especially in areas where Wiregrass (Aristida spp.) is found. Typically associated with Longleaf Pine habitats.

Dusky Roadside-Skipper (*Amblyscirtes alternata*)

County

© Sara Bright

Slash Pine Forest with Skeleton Grass in understory

Bearded Skeleton Grass (Gymnopogon ambiguus) is reported in Florida and has been documented in Alabama.

Bearded Skeleton Grass (Gymnopogon ambiguus) - Host Plant

For more information about these plants, please visit the Alabama Plant Atlas using the links above.

Dusky Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes alternata) Photos

Click on individual photos to view a larger version that includes photo credits, county, and date.
Photos with comments are indicated by a small, tan dot on the bottom right.