Erynnis martialis

Erynnis martialis, commonly known as the mottled duskywing, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in most of the eastern United States and in southern Ontario, and southeastern Manitoba.[2] It is listed as a species of special concern and believed extirpated in the US state of Connecticut.[3]

Mottled duskywing

Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Erynnis
Species:
E. martialis
Binomial name
Erynnis martialis
(Scudder, 1869)
Synonyms
  • Nisoniades martialis Scudder, 1869
  • Thanaos quercus Butler, 1870
  • Nisoniades ausonius Lintner, 1872

The wingspan is 25–29 mm. There can be two generations from mid-May to late August.[4]

The larvae feed on wild lilacs including New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) and redroot (Ceanothus herbaceus) in the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). Adults feed on nectar from flowers of Bush houstonia, Gromwell, Verbena stricta and other plants.[5]

Main threats posed to mottled duskywing populations are habitat loss, fragmentation and invasive species control measures.[6] Urbanization, suburban sprawl, agriculture and logging have destroyed many oak savanna habitats that the mottled duskywing rely on.[7] The spraying of DDT and carbaryl to control the population of the invasive gypsy moth also pose a major threat to the success of the species.[7]

References
  1. "Erynnis martialis Mottled Duskywing". Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  2. COSEWIC. 2012. COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Mottled Duskywing Erynnis martialis in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xiv+35 pp. Consulted on February 13th, 2018.
  3. "Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015". State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  4. Mottled Duskywing, Butterflies of Canada
  5. "Mottled Duskywing Erynnis martialis (Scudder, [1870]) | Butterflies and Moths of North America".
  6. Reinhart, Ellen (2016-07-01). "Mottled Duskywing". Wildlife Preservation Canada. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  7. "Welcome home, Mottled Duskywings!". Ontario Parks Blog. 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2023-08-16.


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