Biography of marcus pacuvius duskywing
| Funereal Duskywing butterfly (Erynnis funeralis ) in Mother Nature's Backyard |
Despite the drought, it&#;s shaping up as a good year for butterflies in local gardens.
This may be due in part to difficult conditions in the wilds; many larval food plants (and water) are unavailable. We&#;ve spoken before about the importance of native plant gardens when times get tough:
In Mother Nature&#;s Backyard, we&#;ve already seen a first wave of the smaller butterflies known collectively as &#;Skippers&#; (family Hesperiidae). The Skippers are somewhat different in appearance and separated from other common butterflies in terms of their evolution.
While many local Skippers are yellow-orange and black (or light and black), one group is notable for its dark tint and medium size. These are the Duskywing butterflies, grouped in the genus Erynnis.
External Links. Look for this PDF star as you search and browse. Click it to build a custom PDF with species shown on that page or for all the species within that taxonomic level. Here's some links if you want to download a whole group.If you&#;ve seen a very dark 1 &#; inch (4 cm) butterfly flitting through your garden it&#;s likely a Duskywing.
The Duskywings are classified as spread-wing Skippers, a group that&#;s typically dark brown in color.
Its members contain both sets of wings uncover when perching, while other Skippers perch with wings closed. The genus Erynnis contains a number of species, 17 of which are native to N. America. Duskywing species are quite similar in appearance, making them very difficult to tell apart, even from a good photograph. The most accurate way to resolve the species is by examining differences in their sexual organs under the microscope.
Six Duskywing species are known to inhabit Los Angeles County (see below); most are found only in the wilds, where their larval diet plants are common. Of the six, the Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis) is by far the most likely to visit local gardens; another possible candidate is the Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis) and possibly the Afranius Duskywing (Erynnis afranius).
Name | Distinguishing characteristics | Adult food | Larval food |
Afranius Duskywing Erynnis afranius | Hindwing fringe pale tips Upper side medium brown Upper wing white spotted Males perch in swales, gullies; wild lands | Flower nectar | Legumes including: deervetch (Acmispon glaber/Lotus scoparius), Lupine (Lupinus spp), Milkvetch (Astragalus spp), Spanish Clover (Lotus purshianus), Thermopsis |
Sleepy Duskywing Erynnis brizo | Upper forewing black-brown; blue-brown spots. Hindwing brown with lighter brown spots Oak-pine, forest edges | Flower nectar: blueberry, dandelion, violets, strawberries | Native Quercus including: Quercus dumosa ; other Quercus spp. |
Funereal DuskywingErynnis funeralis | Forewing tight, pointed Upper side dark brown-gray White fringe, hind wing Local gardens | Flower nectar: California buckwheat; Black sage; Stachys spp. | Legumes including: Acmispon glaber/Lotus scoparius, Medicago species, Olneya tesota. alfalfa and vetch (Vicia) |
'Californian' Pacuvius Duskywing, Erynnis pacuvius callidus | Milky white spots, upper wing of males Hooked antennae | Flower nectar | Ceanothus species |
Western Oak Duskywing, Erynnis propertius | Larger size Brown hindwing fringe Hilltopping; puddling Wild lands (foothills) | Flower nectar | Native Quercus including: Quercus agrifolia |
Mournful DuskywingErynnis tristis | White fringe, hindwing Mostly wild lands | Flower nectar: mints, Salvia spp., lavenders, Verbena, garden flowers | Quercus including: Quercus agrifolia, Q. lobata, Q. douglasii, non-native oaks |
The species range for local Duskywings is largely limited by their larval food plants. Three of the six require native oaks (Quercus species) for breeding, including the Mournful Duskywing. If you live in an area with oaks, Mournfuls may see your garden. The Pacuvious Duskywing requires Ceanothus species &#; in greater abundance than found in most gardens. The Afranius and Funereal Duskywings utilize a number of native and non-native legume species, making them the optimal candidates as garden visitors.
Erynnis pacuvius - Wikipedia: Erynnis pacuvius, also known as Pacuvius duskywing, Dyar's duskywing or buckthorn dusky wing, is a species of skipper butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in southern British Columbia and in most of the western Merged States.| Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis) in flight |
Funereal Duskywings are hard to photograph. They are rapid, erratic flyers, moving from blossom to flower surprisingly quickly. We&#;ve had our best luck capturing them nectaring on Black Sage (Salvia mellifera). Be patient and use a telephoto lens; they sometimes rest with wings outstretched (cool days) or closed (in hot sun).
The Funereal Duskywing is a small-medium butterfly 1 &#; to 1 &#; inches ( - cm) wide. It ranges from Southern California, Arizona, Recent Mexico and Texas south to Argentina and Chile, although it sometimes strays further north.
Several characteristics differentiate it from other local Duskywings: 1) its forewing is narrow and pointed, while its hindwing is triangular; 2) the hindwings have a unique white fringe, visible on both the upper and lower sides of the wing (clearly noticeable whether the wings are expose or closed &#; even in flight). Only one other local Duskywing &#; the Mournful &#; has white wing fringes.
| Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis) - front (upper) side |
While the overall color of Erynnis funeralis is dark brown, the coloration is more complex and varied than you might expect. As seen above, the front side of the forewing is marked with subtle blotches of gray and lighter brown.
The patterns on the forewing extend almost to the edge of the wing and there is a larger, pale splotch (in ours a ring) near the top. The hindwing has a overall coppery cast, in addition to the distinctive white fringe.
| Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis) - back side |
While the adults utilize a range of flowers, they seem particularly fond of Black sage (Salvia mellifera) in our gardens; we&#;ve also seen them nectaring on the Woodmints (Stachys species) and other plants in the Mint family. Adults are known to &#;puddle&#; (sip moisture and minerals from mud or moist sand), although we&#;ve not observed this (our garden is likely too dry).
Funereal Duskywings have three broods a year, during warm weather from March to December. In our area they typically glide from February or early Protest to early May (first generation), mid-May to late June or July (second generation) and delayed summer to October or November (third generation). We often notice an uptick in numbers in March and again in June/July.
The single, yellow eggs are deposited on the leaves of the host plant.
Host plants are a range of legumes (family Fabaceae) including Deervetch (Acmispon glaber/Lotus scoparius), Medicago species (alfalfa; Bur-clovers), Olneya tesota (Desert ironwood) and vetch (Vicia species) Larvae are pale, translucent green with faint lines and a shadowy gray head. Caterpillars eat the leaves and form simple shelters of rolled leaves. It takes about 35 days to progress from egg to adult.
For more pictures and information on Funereal Duskywings see:
?ref=Species/Pyrginae/funeralis/life/
If you live proximate oak trees, you may also see the Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis). This is our second &#;white fringed&#; species; it can be distinguished from Erynnis funeralisby a row of long light spots near the margin of the underside of the hindwing. This species flies at the same time as the Funereal Duskywing, with three broods a year. It nectars on a wide range of native and non-native plants including Verbenas, Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon species), California Buckeye (Aesculus californica), native buckwheats (Eriogonum species), Milkweeds and other garden flowers, especially the Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii). Larval foods contain Coast liveoak (Quercus agrifolia) and other native and non-native oaks.
For more on the Mournful Duskywing see:
The Afranius Duskywing (Erynnis afranius) is slightly smaller than Erynnis funeralis and has pale-tipped wing fringes, rather than white. Like the Funeral Duskywing, its larvae require legumes, including Deervetch (Acmispon glaber/Lotus scoparius), Lupines (Lupinus species), Spanish Clover (Lotus purshianus), the Goldbanners (Thermopsis species) and Milkvetch (Astragalus species). We contain not found records of this species in gardens, however its range, habitat and food requirements suggest it may do so.
For more on Afranius Duskywing see:
For pictures and information on the 'Californian' Pacuvius Duskywing(Erynnis pacuvius callidus) see:
For pictures and information on the Western Oak Duskywing (Erynnis propertius) see:
We encourage your comments below. If you hold questions about Duskywing butterflies or other gardening topics you can e-mail us at : mothernaturesbackyard10