Three transects were monitored to determine frequencies of behaviors of Hesperopsis gracielae (MacNeill) (MacNeill's sootywing) at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge from spring through fall 2006. Based on 1,620 observations, sootywings were observed most frequently flying in Atriplex lentiformis (Torr.) Wats. shrubs (largely mate searching by males), followed by dispersing, chasing or being chased, landing on flowers, basking (with wings open), perching (with wings closed), and ovipositing. Most sootywing behaviors correlated slightly better with sun position than with temperature, while landing on flowers and perching with wings closed correlated best with sun height. Sootywings were observed flying closer to the ground in A. lentiformis shrubs as the day progressed. They were observed feeding on the nectar of inflorescences of six plant species in six families, which changed through the season.
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1 July 2009
Macneill's Sootywing (Hesperopsis gracielae) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) Behaviors Observed Along Transects
G. F. Pratt,
W. D. Wiesenborn
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Atriplex
basking
behavior
nectar
thermoregulation