Achlyodes mithridates

Sickle-winged skipper
Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Hesperiidae
Genus:	Achlyodes
Species:	A. mithridates
Binomial name
Achlyodes mithridates (Fabricius, 1793)
Synonyms
Hesperia mithridates Fabricius, 1793 Eantis mithridates Achlyodes janus Bell & Comstock, 1948 Hesperia tamenund Edwards, 1871 Achlyodes papinianus Achlyodes tamenund Eantis tamenund Urbanus vetus thraso Hübner, [1807] Eantis peruvianus Mabille & Boullet, 1917 Achlyodes thraso Eantis thraso Godman & Salvin, [1895] Achlyodes minor Comstock, 1944

Achlyodes mithridates, the sickle-winged skipper, is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found from Argentina, north through tropical America and the West Indies to southern Texas. A regular stray north to central Texas, rarely to Arkansas and Kansas.

The wingspan is 35–45 mm. Adults are on wing all year round in most of its range.

The larvae feed on leaves of Rutaceae species, including Zanthoxylum fagara in Texas and Zanthoxylum monophyllum in tropical America. Adults feed on flower nectar.

Subspecies

Note that several of these subspecies are considered species by some authors.

• Achlyodes mithridates mithridates (Jamaica)
• Achlyodes mithridates papinianus (Trinidad, Cuba)
• Achlyodes mithridates tamenund (Mexico, Texas)
• Achlyodes mithridates thraso (Peru, Argentina, Greater Antilles, southern Mexico to Paraguay, Ecuador, Brazil)
• Achlyodes mithridates minor (Puerto Rico, Dominica)
• Achlyodes mithridates sagra (Haiti)

External links

• Butterflies and Moths of North America