The text below is grayed out because it is not intended to be read. It is a necessarily imperfect OCR of the original and is only used by a search engine.
56
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
THE HESPERIOIDEA OF THE SOUTH COASTAL AREA OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Ronald R. Gatrelle 126 Wells Road, Hanahan, South Carolina 29405
South Carolina has much to offer the lepidopterists. There are fewer records, especially for recent years, from South Carolina than from any other state in the southeastern United States. This paper covers only the southern coastal counties of South Carolina and the skippers of that area. The included counties are from south to north: Jasper, Beaufort, Colleton, Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley; this is the area south of the Santee River.
There exists but one paper (Sharpe, 1914) on the butterflies of this area of South Carolina. Sharpe (1914) included but 7 species of skippers, all taken in Charleston County. This paper deals with over 50 species of Hesperioidea. Many of the species were collected in this area by earlier collectors, but this paper represents the first documentation of their occurrence in the defined region. Due to this lack of documentation, nearly all species included herein represent new county records and range extensions. Species which are new state records are followed by an asterisk (*). All records are those of the author except where otherwise noted.
Megathymus yuccae (Boisduval & Le Conte). This species is well established in Charleston County. The largest colony is on Edisto Island with adults on the wing in March-April.
Panoquina panoquin (Scudder). Charleston, Beaufort and Jasper Counties, in and around salt marshes. A good flower visitor, most common at Hunting Island in Beaufort County during August; flies from April-September.
Panoquina ocola (Edwards). Berkeley, Charleston and Beaufort Counties. Flight period, May-September, with peak flight in August. Found in varied habitat: in Beaufort County around salt marshes with P. panoquin; in Berkeley County it occurs in pine woods, along roads and railroad tracks.
Calpodes ethluis (Stoll). Charleston County, July-August. Usually uncommon around host plant, canna.
Oligoria maculata (Edwards).* Berkeley, Colleton and Charleston Counties. Found to be rather local in Berkeley County during August-September. Elsewhere it flies during May-June and again in August-September.
Lerodea eufala (Edwards). Found in all the counties covered by this paper. It may be very common in the fall, but is on the wing from May-September.
Amblyscirtes aesculapius (Fabricius). Charleston, Beaufort, Dorchester, Berkeley and Colleton Counties, rather rare with scattered dates of capture from April-August.
Amblyscirtes reversa (Jones).* Berkeley County is the only area where reversa has been found, and then only at one locality. It is rare and has been taken during July-August. A pair (S, April 18, 1971; $, May 18, 1971) taken at the same
Volume 29, Number 1
57
locality may prove to be Amblyscirtes Carolina (Skinner) because they seem to key out with Freeman's (1973) description.
Amblyscirtes alternata (Grote & Robinson).* Berkeley County, one mi. W of the junction of 1-26 and Hwy. 17-A; rare and local during April-May. Dr. R. B. Dominick has found this species at the Wedge Plantation in Charleston County where it is also rare.
Atrytonopsis loammi (Whitney).* In Berkeley County this species has been found only at the junction of 1-26 and Hwy. 17-A locality where it is uncommon. It has been taken in April, July and August.
Euphyes palatka (Edwards).* Berkeley and Jasper Counties. A fresh female was taken at the Naval Weapons Station in Berkeley County on May 29, 1972. In Jasper County at the Savannah River Wildlife Refuge, palatka is on the wing during May-June and is uncommon.
Euphyes dion (Edwards). Dion has been collected in Dorchester, Charleston, Berkeley and Colleton Counties as scattered individuals. Most of the specimens have been taken one mi. N of the Ashepoo River along Hwy. 17 in Colleton County. Dates of capture are May-June and August-September.
Euphyes alahamae (Lindsey).* This species is known to occur at a very very small sedge-cypress pond surrounded by pine flats one mi. W of the junction of 1-26 and Hwy. 17-A in Berkeley County where it flies during September.
Euphyes dukesi (Lindsey).* Charleston and Colleton Counties. First found by Dr. R. B. Dominick at the Wedge Plantation in Charleston County. In Colleton County it is found one mi. N of the Ashepoo River along Hwy. 17. It is usually collected during May-June and is uncommon to rare.
Euphyes herryi (Bell).* S. S. Nicolay took one male in Jasper County along Hwy. 17 some years ago (I do not have the date). In Berkeley County at the small sedge-cypress pond one mi. W of the junction of 1-26 and Hwy. 17-A during July-August. The Berkeley County area is the northern most record for this species. Suitable habitat for herryi exists along Hwy. 17 in Charleston County, but it has not been found there yet. As far as I have been able to determine, specimens of herryi which I collected in the Pensacola area of Florida represent the western most record of this species; July-September 1969.
Euphyes himacula (Grote & Robinson). Found in Berkeley County at the 1-26 and Hwy. 17-A locality during July-August. Usually uncommon flying with E. herryi, E. alahamae and Atrytonopsis loammi.
Euphyes vestris metacomet (Harris). Berkeley, Dorchester, Charleston, Colleton and Beaufort Counties; generally uncommon from April-September.
Poanes zahulon (Boisduval & Le Conte). In Dorchester County where it is local and uncommon and in Charleston County at the Wedge plantation by R. B. Dominick. Dates of capture have been during April, May and June.
Poanes aaroni howardi (Skinner).* Jasper County at the Savannah River National Wildlife Refuge during May and during August-September, where it is uncommon.
Poanes yehl (Skinner)- Dorchester, Berkeley, Charleston and Colleton Counties; uncommon to rare with best collecting in Colleton County one mi. N of the Ashepoo River along Hwy. 17. It flies during May-June and again in September.
Poanes viator zizaniae (Shapiro).* All counties in the southern coastal area except Dorchester; common to abundant around marshes from May-September.
Prohlema hyssus (Edwards).* Beaufort, Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley Counties; may be common at times especially in the fall brood. Flight period during June and August-September.
Prohlema hulenta (Boisduval & Le Conte). In Jasper County at the Savannah River Wildlife Refuge where it is not uncommon but difficult to catch as it flies out over the vast swamp during June-August. In Charleston County at the Wedge Plantation by R. B. Dominick, where it is rare.
58
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
Atrytone delaware (Edwards). All counties not uncommon, May-August.
Atalopedes campestris (Boisduval). All counties from April-October, however it is never very common.
Pompeius verna sequoyah (H. A. Freeman).* All counties from May-September; at times it is common but usually is uncommon.
Wallengrenia otho (Smith). In all coastal counties usually common, at times abundant, flight period from May-October. This species is highly variable from very light to very dark.
Wallengrenia egeremet (Scudder). This species has been collected in the western part of South Carolina (Pickens County) but it has not yet been found in the southern coastal area.
Polites themistocles (Latreille). Found in all of the coastal counties from June-October, however not very common.
Polites origines (Fabricius). Berkeley, Dorchester, Charleston and Colleton Counties; often flying with themistocles but less common, June-September.
Polites vibex (Geyer). All southern coastal counties where it is common everywhere from March-November.
Hylephila phyleus (Drury). All southern coastal counties where it is common from May-November.
Copaeodes minima (Edwards). Berkeley and Charleston Counties where it is local but not uncommon when found. It flies during May-June and again in August-September.
Ancyloxypha numitor (Fabricius). Berkeley, Charleston, Jasper and Beaufort Counties. It is often found with Copaeodes minima and likes to feed on low flowers and dung in wet grasses. Found from April-September, it is usually uncommon, best collected at the Wedge Plantation in Charleston County.
Lerema accius (Smith). All coastal counties, May-September, usually uncommon though wide-spread.
Nostra Iherminier (Latreille). Found from April-September in all coastal counties and is often common.
Pholisora catullus (Fabricius). Berkeley, Charleston and Beaufort Counties; not uncommon from July-September.
Pyrgus communis (Grote). All counties very common, March-December.
Erynnis brizo (Boisduval & Le Conte). In Charleston County at the Wedge Plantation and Berkeley County, usually uncommon to rare during April-May.
Erynnis baptisiae (Forbes). Berkeley and Dorchester Counties from April-June, very localized and rare.
Erynnis zarucco (Lucas). March-October in all of the southern coastal counties, rather common.
Erynnis martialis (Scudder)- Not recorded from the coastal counties although it is rare and localized at Rocks Pond Camp Ground in Orangeburg County which is close to the Berkeley County line (July 4, 1971).
Erynnis horatius (Scudder & Burgess). All southern coastal counties during April-May and June-July, usually common.
Erynnis juvenalis (Fabricius). Charleston County south of the air force base along Hwy. 642 where it is rare and on the Wedge Plantation where it is common, April.
Staphylus mazans hayhurstii (Edwards). Not recorded from the southern coastal counties although recorded from Rocks Pond Camp Ground in Orangeburg County where it is very local (July 4, 1971).
Thorybes bathyllus (Smith). All southern coastal counties where it is not uncommon. Two broods in May-June and August-September.
Thorybes pylades (Scudder). Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester Counties rather rare only recorded from April-May.
Volume 29, Number 1
59
Thorybes confusis (Bell). Berkeley and Charleston Counties; it may be very common in Berkeley County during April at one mi. W of the junction of 1-26 and Hwy. 17-A. Two broods which come out in April and July. The first brood of T. bathyllus and the second brood of T. confusis may be exactly the same in color and pattern. Based on genitalic dissection it appears that many specimens in collections are mislabeled.
Achalarus lyciades (Geyer). All coastal counties except Jasper, April-May and July-August, generally uncommon.
Antochton cellus (Boisduval & Le Conte). In Dorchester County it is very rare (one S April 29, 1972; one 2 April 28, 1973) but obviously breeds some where in the area of Hwy. 642 near the Dorchester and Charleston County line.
Urbanus proteus (Linnaeus). All southern coastal counties where it builds up in numbers and becomes common by August. It may be found from April-December.
Epargyreus clarus (Crammer). April-September in all of the southern coastal counties of South Carolina, common.
The southern coastal counties of South Carolina show a distinct Lower Austral and limited Svibtropical faunal composition. This is evidenced by those species which are usually associated with Florida or extreme coastal Georgia and which also have been found in the southern coastal region of South Carolina. Not only is this true with the Hesperiidae of these regions i.e., Euphyes berryi, E. palatka, Megathymus yuccae, Problema byssus, Poanes aaroni hoioardi and Atrytonopsis loammi, but also in other families. The Lycaenidae found in both areas are: Brephidum isophthalma pseudofea (Morrison), Hemiargus cerannus anti-bubastus (Hiibner), Satyrium liparops liparops (Le Conte), S. calanus calanus (Hiibner) and S. kingi (Klots & Clench); the Nymphalidae are: Heliconius charitonius tuckeri (Comestock & Brown), Phyciodes phaon (Edwards) and Asterocampa alicia (Edwards). Danaus gilippus berenice (Cramer) (Danaidae) and Lethe appalachia appalachia (Cher-mock) and Euptychia cymela viola (Maynard) (Satyridae) are also common to both regions.
Literature Cited
Freeman, H. A. 1973. A review of the Amblyscirtes with the description of a
new species from Mexico (Hesperiidae). J. Lepid. Soc. 27: 40-57. Gatrelle, R. R. 1971. Notes on the occurrence of two rare Lepidoptera in South
Carolina. J. Lepid. Soc. 25: 143. dos Passos, C. F. 1964. A synonymic list of the Nearctic Rhopalocera. Mem.
Lepid. Soc. 1: 1-145. Sharpe, J. 1914. Preliminary list of butterflies of the vicinity of Charleston. Bull.
Charleston Mus. of Nat. Hist. 10: 33-35, 41-43.