Southern Skipperling (Copaeodes minima [W. H. Edwards])
Wing span: 5/8 - 7/8 inches (1.6 - 2.2 cm).
Identification: The smallest North American skipper. Wings are pale orange both above and below. Upperside of male forewing has a narrow, short black stigma; female forewing may have narrow black edging. Underside of the hindwing has a white stripe running from the base to the outer margin.
Life history: Not reported.
Flight: Two broods from March-October in Louisiana; all year in Florida.
Caterpillar hosts: Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon).
Adult food: Nectar from flowers such as fine-leaved sneezeweed (Helenium tenuifolium).
Habitat: Grassy places, open fields, flats.
Range: Arkansas east to North Carolina; south through Florida, the Gulf states, Texas, and Mexico to Panama.
Conservation: Not usually required.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management needs: None reported.
Opler, P. A. and G. O. Krizek. 1984. Butterflies east of the Great Plains. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 294 pages, 54 color plates. Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates. Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates. Stanford, R. E. and P. A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of western USA butterflies including adjacent parts of Canada and Mexico. Denver and Fort Collins, CO. Tilden, J. W. 1986. A field guide to western butterflies. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass. 370 pages, 23 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Neck, R.W. 1996. A Field Guide to Butterflies of Texas. Gulf Publishing Co., Houston, Texas. Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass. Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies. Privately published, Denver, Colo. Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass. Tveten, J. and Tveten, G. 1996. Butterflies of Houston & Southeast Texas. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin, TX. 292 pp.