''Erynnis propertius'', commonly known as Propertius duskywing, is a species of

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...

in the family

Hesperiidae Skippers are a family of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) named the Hesperiidae. Being diurnal, they are generally called butterflies. They were previously placed in a separate superfamily, Hesperioidea; however, the most recent taxonomy ...

. It is found in along the west coast of North America from southern

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

south along the

Pacific Slope The Pacific Slope describes geographic regions in North American, Central American, and South American countries that are west of the continental divide and slope down to the Pacific Ocean. In North America, the Rocky Mountains mark the eastern b ...

to Baja California Norte. It is one of the most commonly seen skippers in California. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...

is 35–45 mm. Its wings are mottled brown, the fore wings with white spotting. While other

duskywing ''Erynnis'' is a genus in the skippers butterfly family Hesperiidae, known as the duskywings. ''Erynnis'' is found in the Neotropical realm and across the Palearctic, but the highest species diversity is in the Nearctic. The genus was erected ...

s like the funereal duskywing and the mournful duskywing have white fringe on their hind wings, the Propertius duskywing has brown fringe. The larvae have a light green body and brown head. They feed on ''

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ' ...

'' species. Adults feed on a wide variety of flower nectar.

References

External links

Butterflies and Moths of North America
Erynnis Butterflies described in 1870 Butterflies of North America Taxa named by Samuel Hubbard Scudder {{Pyrginae-stub