harvester | skymeadows

harvester (Feniseca tarquinius)

CONFIRMATION STATUS: Confirmed.

FAMILY: Gossamer-wing Butterflies (Lycaenidae)
SUBFAMILY: Harvesters (Miletinae)

IDENTIFICATION: Upperside has black spots and orange-brown areas
surrounded by black. Underside hindwing is orange-brown to orange-
purple with small, faint white circles.

LIFE HISTORY: Males perch in sunlight on the edge of leaves, watching
for females, then fly back and forth in the area, returning to where they
started. Females lay eggs in colonies of woolly aphids and sometimes
scale insects or treehoppers because caterpillars are carnivorous on
these insects. For protection from ants, some caterpillars feed under a
silken mat covered with aphid carcasses.

FLIGHT: Two flights in the north from May-August; three in the south
from February-September.

WING SPAN: 1 1/8 - 1 1/4 inches (3 - 3.2 cm).

CATERPILLAR HOSTS: Woolly aphids (Neoprociphilus, Pemphigus,
Prociphilus, and Schizoneura) and sometimes scale insects or
treehoppers; these insects suck sap from alders, witch hazel, ash,
beech, hawthorn, and wild currant.

ADULT FOOD: Adult\'s short proboscis is suited for feeding on aphid
honeydew; they do not sip flower nectar.

HABITAT: Deciduous or mixed woodlands along streams.

RANGE: Eastern United States west to Minnesota, south to central
Texas and central Florida. Comments: Only North American butterfly
species with carnivorous caterpillars.

CONSERVATION: Not normally required.

NATURESERVE GLOBAL STATUS: G4 - Apparently secure globally,
though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the
periphery.

MANAGEMENT NEEDS: None reported.

SKY MEADOWS OCCURRENCE:

Note: Due to seasonal conditions in this region, occurrence may vary from

year to year. The designation of occurrence may range over two or more

categories and may vary even during a single season.

Key to Checklist

A   Abundant: Easy to see very large numbers of individuals in appropriate habitat
      at proper time of year.
C   Common: Usually each to see good numbers of individuals in appropriate habitat
      at proper time of year.
U   Uncommon: Sometimes found in appropriate habitat and proper time of year,
      usually in low numbers.
O   Occasional: Found in appropriate habitat perhaps only a few times a year, usually
      in low numbers.
R   Rare: Small chance of being found, even in appropriate habitat at proper time of
      year. There are few individuals and may not be present every year.
X   Extirpated: Formerly present, no longer occurs in Sky Meadows Park.