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Post by mantisdragon on Aug 18, 2012 9:18:23 GMT -8
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Post by admin on Aug 18, 2012 17:05:29 GMT -8
I don't recognize it but if I were you I would collect samples of all plants found within a 20 ft radius of where you found it and put the cuttings in his cage. You could get a nibble. Also, where are you located?  We need to know this. |
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Post by mantisdragon on Aug 19, 2012 9:15:06 GMT -8
I have tried putting in all kinds of plants. He might have nibbled a little on a type of clover.
I am located on the East Coast of the US.
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Post by bluemoth on Aug 20, 2012 12:54:43 GMT -8
I do think you have a skipper larva. Possibly Silver Spotted. Try host plants for that skipper species and other large skippers found in the east.
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Post by bluemoth on Aug 21, 2012 12:57:21 GMT -8
I was wrong about the larva being a Silver Spotted Skipper. I checked my butterfly caterpillar book and determined that it most closely resembles the Columbine Duskywing - Erynnis lucilius. The only problem is you said the larva ate a little clover that means it may not be E. L. but a different Erynnis sp. So The other species of Erynnis feed on different plants as follows : Legumes, Wild Indigo, Crown vetch, Oaks, New Jersey Tea, Willows, Aspen and Poplar. If these Plants do not work for your larva try host plants of the Cloudywing Skippers - Thorybes. Good luck.
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Post by boogtwo on Aug 25, 2012 18:34:02 GMT -8
FWIW: Trifolium, Baptisia and Securigera suggested by bluemoon are all legumes (Fabaceae). A lot of Erynnis species use legumes, and that includes E. lucilius known to use Lupinus. Might help explain the nibbles on Trifolium.
So bluemoth may have it pegged close enough for you to narrow it down with some more research.
Possibly the closely related E. baptisiae or E. persisus that both do use legumes if they occur where you found the larva.
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Post by papilio28570 on Aug 26, 2012 15:22:33 GMT -8
In your photos, is that spinach?
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Post by oehlkew on Aug 27, 2012 3:09:25 GMT -8
I do agree that it is an Erynnis species. A more precise location might help narrow down some of the possibilities.
Bill Oehlke
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We need to know this.
