About Problema byssus (Edwards, 1886)
The Byssus Skipper, scientifically named Problema byssus (Edwards, 1886), is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of 3.7 to 4.6 cm, which equals 37 to 46 mm. The upper side of its wings are bright yellow-orange with black borders, creating the appearance of a central patch. The underside of its forewings retains the yellow-orange coloration. The underside of the hindwings are dull yellow in males and rust-colored in females, and a band of pale spots is typically visible on the hindwings. The larvae of this species feed on Tripsacum dactyloides. Problema byssus has a disjunct distribution across three separate regions in North America: the Atlantic coastal plain from North Carolina south through Florida and the Gulf states; Midwestern tallgrass prairie from northern Indiana to Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas; and localized prairie fragments such as southeastern Nebraska counties. Its habitats include Midwestern tallgrass prairies, and moist grassy wetlands along the Atlantic coast, for example marsh edges and wet pine savannas.
