Hesperopsis libya

Hesperopsis libya, the Mojave sootywing, Mohave sootywing, Great Basin sootywing or Lena sooty wing, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America from eastern Oregon east to Montana and south to southern California, Arizona, and north-western Mexico including Baja California.[2]

Hesperopsis libya
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Hesperiidae
Genus:
Hesperopsis
Species:
H. libya
Binomial name
Hesperopsis libya
(Scudder, 1878)[1]
Synonyms
  • Heteropterus libya Scudder, 1878
  • Pholisora libya
  • Ancyloxypha lena Edwards, 1882

The wingspan is 22–32 mm. The upperside is dark brown with two rows of small white spots on the forewings. The underside of the hindwings is light to dark brown with a pale grey overlay and some white spots. Adults are on wing from July to August in one generation per year in North Dakota and Montana. In Colorado, there are two generations with adults on wing from June to August while adult are on wing from March to October in multiple generations in California. Adults feed on flower nectar.

The larvae feed on the leaves of Atriplex canescens. They live in nests of leaves tied together with silk.

Subspecies
  • Hesperopsis libya libya (Arizona)
  • Hesperopsis libya lena (Edwards, 1882)
  • Hesperopsis libya joaquina Emmel, Emmel & Mattoon, 1998 (California)

See also

References
  1. Hesperopsis, Site of Markku Savela
  2. Butterflies and Moths of North America


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