About Ancyloxypha numitor (Fabricius, 1793)
This species, Ancyloxypha numitor, commonly called the least skipper, has several distinctive physical traits. It has rounded wings, a slender body, and checkered antennae that lack hooks. Males do not have stigmata. The upper sides of its forewings are dark brownish black, and sometimes have an orange patch. Its hindwing is orange, with a broad dark brownish-black band that completely surrounds the orange area. The underside of its wings is orange, and the discal area of the hindwing is slightly darker. The veins on the hindwing are whitish. Its wingspan measures between 17 and 26 mm. The least skipper prefers damp or wet habitats that contain tall grasses. During its life cycle, males patrol through grass stands to locate females. Females lay eggs one at a time on their host plant. The pale yellow eggs soon develop an orange-red ring around their middle. Larvae create a nest by rolling a single blade of grass, or by tying multiple leaves together with silk. Variable in appearance, larvae are grass green, with four distinct white pairs of wax glands along the subventral area of the abdomen. The larval head is either brown or tan, and is usually darker in the center. The collar has a white stripe and a black stripe. The pupa is cream-colored with brown markings. This species overwinters as a larva in the third or fourth instar, and has two to four broods each year.
