Fiery Skipper – Hylephila phyleus
Common Name: Fiery Skipper
Latin Name: Hylephila phyleus
Appearance:
Fiery skippers are distinguished by their very small antennas. They are just around half the length of the forewing. Males are flaming orange/yellow with a zigzagged border and a huge black stigma (a gland used to secrete pheromones) on the forewing, while females are yellowish-brown with little dark dots. Their wingspans range from 1.0 to 1.25 inches, with females somewhat bigger.
Fiery skipper larvae are tan in color and heavily coated with short hairs. They feature three black lateral stripes and a huge, dark head that seems to be segmented from the rest of the body.
The eggs are hemispherically formed, shiny, and pale turquoise/green.
The chrysalis of a flaming skipper is light brown, with a black dorsal line running from end to end.
Host plants:
Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), crabgrass (Digitaria), St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), and other grasses.
Territory:
The Fiery Skipper may be found from the southern United States down to the West Indies, Central America, and Argentina. It may travel northward during summer to New England states, south Ontario, southern Minnesota, and northern California. It needs to be added to the Rocky Mountain area.
Damages caused by Fiery Skipper
Damage from fiery skippers is often evident from May to September and manifests as 1 to 2-inch (2.5 – 5 cm) brown blotches on the lawn. Spots can combine to produce vast, uneven dead patches. Leaves have been eaten or are gone. Damage is more common around flower beds where adults eat.
Life history and habitat:
Male skippers wait on grass or plants for a female to approach while mating. Males search for virgin females near hatching locations. Rival males interrupt the brief courting. After mating, female Fiery Skippers deposit eggs singly. These tiny clear white eggs turn pale blue in the first few days.
The Fiery Skipper’s reproductive cycle took 23.4 to 23.5 days at 27.5–29 °C (81.5–84.2 °F) to grow from egg to adult. Larvae hatch green but become grey. Larvae at this stage have a black head and restricted neck and can grow to 25 mm (1 in) long. Male and female pupas turn from green to bright brown in about the same period. Mating occurs immediately after pupa emergence and lasts 6–11 days. Irene Shapiro conducted research at the University of California Davis from July through October 1974 on Fiery Skipper reproduction. Lab cultures have helped researchers comprehend Fiery Skipper’s life cycle.
