Summary ⁵

The Eufala Skipper or Rice Leaffolder (Lerodea eufala) is a butterfly in the Hesperiidae, subfamily Hesperiinae. Males perch all day in grassy swales and flats waiting for females.

Description ⁶

Upper side is gray-brown; forewing has 3-5 small transparent spots; male has no stigma. Underside of hind wing is brown with heavy gray overscaling on veins, only rarely with faint spots.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm).

Larva Description ⁶

Head prominent, reddish-brown with cream-colored subdorsal and lateral stripes, remainder of head sprinkled with minute cream-colored spots. Body pale green with dark green dorsal stripe finely edged with yellow, yellow lateral stripe above a white line, covered with a fine white mottling.

Larval Host Plants ⁶

Various grasses including Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense), Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum).

GTM Occurrence ⁶

The Eufala Skipper is considered a rare species at the GTM. Most observations are in the open habitat along Transect A with a single observation at the Marsh Pond Overlook (Transect B). There have only been three observations of this species, August, 2008 (1 specimen), October, 2008 (3 specimens), and June, 2013 (1 specimen). There have been 5 specimens observed as of December 28, 2015.

Distribution ⁶

Resident from coastal Georgia south through Florida and west across the southern United States to southern California; south through Mexico and Central America to Patagonia. Expands its range northward in the summer to central California, North Dakota, southern Wisconsin, northern Michigan, and Washington, D. C.

Habitat ⁶

Open, sunny areas such as vacant lots, agricultural areas, road edges, and lawns.

Nature serve conservation status ⁷

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Sources and Credits

1. (c) mlhradio, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/matthigh/5793133830/
2. (c) Jerry Oldenettel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/jroldenettel/2170820376/
3. (c) Jerry Oldenettel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/7457894@N04/5222109655
4. (c) GTMResearchReserve, all rights reserved, uploaded by GTMResearchReserve
5. Adapted by GTMResearchReserve from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lerodea_eufala
6. (c) GTMResearchReserve, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
7. (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28831233

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• BugGuide
• Butterflies and Moths of North America
• CalPhotos
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• Maryland Moths
• Moth Photographers Group
• Moths of North Carolina
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Pacific Northwest Moths

iNat Map