Sonora skipper (Polites sonora) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 6

Biology

Life cycle and reproduction

Adult Sonora Skippers have been found in Canada from 21 June to 13 August, with the later dates being at higher elevations. The species has one generation per year and has the typical life cycle of Lepidoptera. The skipper has been reared in the laboratory on lawn grass and blue bunchgrass (Festuca idahoensis) (Newcomer 1967) in Washington and on Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) in Colorado (Scott 1992). The larval food plant(s) used in nature are unknown. One or more grass species are the likely larval food plants in Canada.

Predation

There is no information on predators or parasitoids of Sonora Skippers. Typical predators of butterflies in Canada are insectivorous birds, small mammals, spiders, and predacious insects. Typical parasitoids are various species of flies (Order Diptera) and wasps (Order Hymenoptera) (Guppy and Shepard 2001).

Physiology

There is no information on the physiology of P. sonora.

Dispersal/migration

There is no information on dispersal in the Sonora Skipper. A related species, Polites sabuleti, has apparently undergone a considerable range extension northward in Washington State and British Columbia in the last 50 years, suggesting considerable dispersal and colonization ability. Pyle (2002) notes significant ability by P. sonora to colonize newly available suitable habitats in Washington State. Polites sonora appears to be able to colonize new suitable habitat as long as it is not too distant from an occupied site.  The distance over which the skipper will disperse across unsuitable habitat is unknown, but is thought to be likely less than 10 kilometres. There is no evidence for migration in any Polites species, including P. sonora.

Interspecific interactions

There is no information regarding interspecific interactions involving P. sonora.

Adaptability

The Sonora Skipper is apparently somewhat adaptable with respect to its habitat requirements, given its occurrence in habitats created by agricultural and forestry activities.

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