Ottoe Skipper - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

WISCONSIN DNR SPECIES STATUS ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET
Ottoe Skipper (Hesperia ottoe) page 3 of 10
Population Condition
4. Global Distribution/Range:
Ottoe skippers are generally restricted to upland mixed-grass and sand prairie habitats in
the central to north-central plains of the United States, and just across the border in
Manitoba, Canada. Their range is concentrated in a band that extends from southern
Manitoba, eastern Montana, and western North Dakota, south along the high plains and
foothills to central Colorado and northern Texas, and then east across South Dakota,
Nebraska, and Kansas to southwestern Minnesota, western Iowa, and Missouri. Scattered
populations occur further east in southeastern Minnesota, northeastern and east-central
Iowa, southern Wisconsin, northern and west-central Illinois, northwestern Indiana, and
southwestern Michigan (Figure 3). The Ottoe skipper is highly local and uncommon to
rare throughout most of its range (Dana 1991, Brock and Kaufman 2003).
5. State Distribution/Range:
Natural Heritage Inventory records indicate this species has occurred in 9 counties
southwest of a line running between Trempealeau county in the northwest, to Green
county in the southeast. Counties include Trempealeau, Monroe, Vernon, Crawford,
Sauk, Grant, Lafayette, Green, and Dane.Range extent = 21,520 sq km; Area of
occupancy = 14 4km sq grid cells or 64 sq km.
6. Number of Occurrences:
13 WNHI EOs and a 1930 Waukesha county record (Ebner, 1970).
7. Number of Viable/“Good” Occurrences:
Uncertain/questionable; maybe one or two. Activities have been undertaken to
maintain/restore native prairie habitat this species depends on. These activities however
(in particular, intensive extensive frequent prescribed fire) may have had a questionable
affect on viability and in some cases contributed to the sub-detectability of the species at
several sites.