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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Butterflies and Skippers (Papilionoidea) » Skippers (Hesperiidae) » Grass Skippers (Hesperiinae) » Hesperiini » Moncina » Nastra » Neamathla Skipper - Hodges#3995 (Nastra neamathla)

Species Nastra neamathla - Neamathla Skipper - Hodges#3995

Classification · Hodges Number · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Remarks · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Florida moth or butterfly - Nastra neamathla

Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Superfamily Papilionoidea (Butterflies and Skippers)

Family Hesperiidae (Skippers)

Subfamily Hesperiinae (Grass Skippers)

Tribe Hesperiini

Subtribe Moncina

Genus Nastra

Species neamathla (Neamathla Skipper - Hodges#3995)

Hodges Number

3995

Explanation of Names

Neamathla was a Seminole chief that resisted the US army's attempt to move his tribe inland, to sandy infertile land.

Size

Average wingspan is 24mm

Identification

Dorsal, plain brown with 2 small pale dots on central FW, and several tiny subapical marks. On worn butterflies, these marks may not show.

Ventral, brown with a very pale spot band on the HW. FW has an orangish inner costal edge.

Compare withSwarthy Skipper. Note the white veining on Swarthy, not found on Neamathla.

Range

Peninsular Florida, SE Texas. Also south to Costa Rica.

Habitat

Open grassy areas and grassy pine woods.

Season

North Florida, February-November, and south Florida and keys, all year with 3 or more broods.

Food

Grasses, mainly Big Bluestem and Little Bluestem.

Remarks

First recognized as a species in 1923, and not much study has been given to it's life history, since it's not an appealing butterfly, and easily confused with the more common Swarthy Skipper. In recent years, the range boundries are being more accurately mapped.

Print References

(1) (2) (3) (4)

Internet References

Nearctica.com

Duke.edu

Works Cited

1.	Butterflies of the East Coast : An Observer's Guide Rick Cech, Guy Tudor. 2005. Princeton University Press.

2.	Butterflies Through Binoculars: The East Jeffrey Glassberg. 1999. Oxford University Press.

3.	Butterflies of North America (Kaufman Focus Guides) Jim P. Brock, Kenn Kaufman. 2003. Houghton Mifflin Co.

4.	Butterflies through Binoculars: Florida Jeffrey Glassberg, Marc C. Minno, John V. Calhoun. 2000. Oxford Press.

Contributed by tom murray on 22 October, 2005 - 10:43am
Additional contributions by Steve Nanz
Last updated 2 July, 2017 - 5:06pm

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