Butterflies of North Carolina:
their Distribution and Abundance
Common Name: Scientific Name:
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Number of records: 249,613
Related Species in HESPERIIDAE:
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Common NameSouthern Broken-dash by Roger Rittmaster => Durham Co.
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Scientific NamePolites otho
Link to BAMONA species account.
MapClick on a county for list of all database records for the species in that county.
Flight Chart
Common NameSouthern Broken-dash
Scientific NamePolites otho
DistributionDISTRIBUTION: Essentially throughout the Coastal Plain and Piedmont; scattered in the Mountains. Possibly absent in some Mountain counties, though likely present in all counties downstate. The lack of records for some of the middle Coastal Plain is certainly due to poor coverage in this region.
AbundanceABUNDANCE: Fairly common over the lower half of the Coastal Plain. Uncommon to locally fairly common in the western half of the Coastal Plain and the eastern half of the Piedmont, rare to uncommon in the western Piedmont, and very rare to locally rare in the Mountains. In the Mountains, probably absent above 3500 feet. As with many other grass skippers, there has been some decline in recent years in much of the state.
FlightFLIGHT PERIOD: Two broods; downstate -- mid-May to mid-June, and mid- or late July to late September, very rarely to early October. The records from the Mountains suggest flight periods from mid-May to late June, and early August to early September, but many more records are needed to be certain.
HabitatHABITAT: The species has a tendency to occur in or near wetlands, but not in truly wet places. Typical habitats are the edges of bottomlands or pocosins, marsh borders, moist powerline clearings, and particularly savannas. It can be seen in drier places, but it is not to be intentionally searched for in uplands. In fact, it can be locally numerous in some gardens/arboretums, as long as the foodplants are nearby. Interestingly, the state's highest count (85) was made at a lawn on Bodie Island, the individuals nectaring on Bitterweed (Helenium amarum)!
PlantsFOOD AND NECTAR PLANTS: Various crowngrasses (Paspalum spp.) are the foodplants. The species nectars on many plants, such as forbs growing in savannas -- blazing-stars (Liatris spp.), etc. Individuals even visit gardens and nurseries, at least in the past, but the species has been scarce or absent from many or most of them in recent years.
CommentsCOMMENTS: This is a widespread, though seldom very numerous, species of damp places in the Coastal Plain and lower Piedmont. Savannas are the best places to look for them, but I have seen them on a number of occasions along powerline clearings where the ground is damp. Though similar in pattern to the Northern Broken-dash, I have seldom had trouble distinguishing the two (unless they are very worn), as the Southern Broken-dash has a rich or warm rusty color, as opposed to a cold or dull brown of the Northern Broken-dash; it also has a stronger "3" pattern of pale spots on the under hind wing than does the Northern.
State Status (first) and Rank (second)none - S5
Federal Status (first) and Global Rank (second)none - G5
SynonymWallengrenia otho
Other NameBroken Dash, Southern Broken-Dash
Links to other butterfly galleries: [Cook] [Lynch] [Pippen] [Pugh]
Photo Gallery for Southern Broken-dash
Photo by: Shay Garriock
Comment: 22-Aug-2007; Columbus Co.
Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge 		Photo by: Randy Newman
Comment: Fort Macon State Park, Carteret Co.; 2017-Nov-22
Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge
Photo by: Richard Stickney
Comment: female. October 3, 2014, Durham Co.
Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge 		Photo by: Richard Stickney
Comment: male. July 30, 2010
Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge
Photo by: Sven Halling
Comment: May 31, 2013, Pilot Mountain State Park, Surry County
Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge 		Photo by: Salman Abdulali
Comment: 2012-July-12. Pitt County Arboretum, Pitt Co.
Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge
Photo by: Salman Abdulali
Comment: 2012-July-12. Male. Pitt County Arboretum, Pitt Co.
Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge