Golden Banded-Skipper (Autochton cellus)
Distribution, abundance, flight period, and map information provided by Notes on the Butterflies of North Carolina.
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Golden Banded-Skipper (Autochton cellus) |
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| DISTRIBUTION in North Carolina: Presently, only in the mountains, probably the Piedmont foothills, and Caswell County in the northern Piedmont; formerly more widespread. Theoretically, it could occur most anywhere in the state, except perhaps in some far eastern counties. It also has been found in all three provinces in SC. |
| ABUNDANCE in North Carolina: Very rare in the mountains, and extremely rare east to Caswell County. This is the rarest butterfly in NC that has a "statewide" range, and it can be considered "mythical". For example, Harry LeGrand, Jr. lists this as the rarest non-migrant butterfly that might be found in the Raleigh area. Abundance has almost certainly declined in recent decades, for unknown reasons. |
| FLIGHT PERIOD in North Carolina: Two broods. In the Washington, DC, area, the species is found from late April to June, with a partial second brood from late July to late August (Glassberg 1993). The 17 dates known to NC Natural Heritage Program fall between late April and the end of July. The two seen in Caswell County in early June 2000 were quite fresh, but the dates better fit the first brood, rather than the beginning of the second. We surmise the first flight to occur from late April into June, and the second occurring in July and likely extending into August. |
Distribution, abundance, flight period, and map information provided by Notes on the Butterflies of North Carolina. |