Lon melane, also known as the umber skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in California (west of the Sierra Nevada divide), southern Arizona, Baja California, the highlands of Mexico and Central America.[2] The habitat consists of desert foothills, grassy areas, streamsides, roadsides, yards, parks and open oak woodland.
| Lon melane | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Lon |
| Species: | L. melane
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| Binomial name | |
| Lon melane (Edwards, 1869)[1]
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| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is 32–35 mm. There are two generations per year with adults on wing from March to May and again from September to October. They feed on flower nectar.
The larvae feed on the leaves of various grasses, including Cynodon dactylon, Deschampsia caespitosa, Lamarckia aurea, Stenotaphrum secundatum, Carex spissa, Phyllostachys bambusoides, Ehrharta erecta, Lolium multiflorum, Paspalum dilatatum, Pennisetum clandestinum, Sorghum sudanense, Digitaria sanguinalis, Bromus carinatus, Dactylis glomerata, Agrostis palustris, Festuca myuros, Festuca rubra, Agropyron cristatum and Poa pratensis. They live in shelters made of rolled or tied leaves.
Subspecies
edit- Lon melane melane (California)
- Lon melane poa (Evans, 1955) (Costa Rica)
- Lon melane vitellina (Herrich-Schäffer, 1869) (Mexico)
References
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- ^ Poanes, Site of Markku Savela
- ^ Butterflies and Moths of North America collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera
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