Polites rhesus
Species of butterfly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Polites rhesus, the Rhesus skipper or plains gray skipper,[2] is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America from Texas to North Dakota, as far north, but infrequently, as Saskatchewan and Alberta.[3]
| Rhesus skipper | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Polites |
| Species: | P. rhesus |
| Binomial name | |
| Polites rhesus (W.H. Edwards, 1876) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
There is one generation in May and June.[3] Its habitats include short-grass and mixed grass prairie.[4]
The larvae feed on grasses, including blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis).[3] Adults feed on nectar from flowers including Drummond's milkvetch (Astragalus drummondii).[4]