Megathymus streckeri
| Megathymus streckeri | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Megathymus |
| Species: | M. streckeri |
| Binomial name | |
| Megathymus streckeri (Skinner, 1895)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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Strecker's Giant Skipper (Megathymus streckeri) is butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found from south-eastern Montana and south-western North Dakota south to southern Texas and west to north-western Arizona and south-western Utah.[2]
The wingspan is 57–78 mm. The forewings are wide. The upperside is black, the forewing has white spots near the tip and a yellow band, while the hindwing has a white to yellow marginal band and long hairlike scales. The underside of the hindwings is gray or mottled gray and black, and has several white spots. Adults are on wing from May to July in one generation. Adults males sip moisture from mud.
The larvae feed on Yucca glauca, Yucca constricta, Yucca angustissima and Yucca baileyi. Young larvae burrow into the stem of the host plant toward the root. After hibernating in the burrow, the larvae surface through the stem or soil and construct a tent of silk, soil and plant debris in which pupation takes place.