Hesperia metea

Hesperia metea, the cobweb skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It has a scattered distribution in the United States from southern Maine west to Wisconsin, south to central Georgia, the Gulf States and central Texas.

Hesperia metea
Conservation status
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Hesperiidae
Genus:	Hesperia
Species:	H. metea
Binomial name
Hesperia metea Scudder, 1863
Synonyms
Erynnis metea Hesperia horus Edwards, 1871 Erynnis licinus Lerema horus

The wingspan is 29–35 mm. There is one generation with adults on wing from late March to early June.

The larvae feed on various grasses, including Schizachyrium scoparium and Andropogon gerardi. Adults feed on flower nectar from various low-growing plants, including Labrador tea, wild strawberry, blackberry, bird's-foot violet, winter cress, red clover, lilac, vervain, Carolina larkspur and wild hyacinth.

Hesperia metea museum specimen

Subspecies

• Hesperia metea metea (Scudder, 1864)
• Hesperia metea intermedia (Gatrelle) - southern cobweb skipper
• Hesperia metea licinus (Edwards, 1871) - Licinus cobweb skipper