Skipper

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Insect Gallery

Skipper Butterflies

order Lepidoptera - family Hesperiidae

On Carelessweed.

Grass Skippers - subfamily Hesperiinae

Orange Skipperling Copaeodes aurantiacia

Photo taken in Taylor County, July 2005

(Taylor, Eastland, Runnels, Coleman, Brown)

Butterfly: 3/4"-1 1/8" wide. Eat nectar.

Caterpillar: Eat grass.

Pupa: x

Similar Species

Grass Skippers - subfamily Hesperiinae

Delaware Skipper Anatrytone logan (delaware)

1 - 1 11/16 inches. Wings are bright yellow-orange. Upperside has black borders and black veins near the margins; forewing has a black bar at the end of the cell. Females have wider borders and darker markings than males. Underside has no markings but may have darker orange veins.

(Coleman)

Grass Skippers - subfamily Hesperiinae

Southern Skipperling Copaeodes minima

5/8 - 7/8 inches. The smallest North American skipper. Wings are pale orange both above and below. Upperside of male forewing has a narrow, short black stigma; female forewing may have narrow black edging. Underside of the hindwing has a white stripe running from the base to the outer margin.

(Coleman)

Grass Skippers - subfamily Hesperiinae

Fiery Skipper Hylephila phyleus

1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inches. Antennae are very short. Male: Wings are yellow-orange. Outer margins are black and toothed above; forewing has a wide black stigma. Underside of the hindwing is scattered with small black spots. Female: Upperside is dark brown with a very irregular orange band. Underside of hindwing is pale brown with paler checks.

(Fisher, Callahan, Brown)

Grass Skippers - subfamily Hesperiinae

Julia's Skipper Nastra julia

15/16 - 1 1/8 inches. Upperside is dark brown; forewing has 2-5 pale spots; hindwing is unmarked. Underside of hindwing is yellow-brown and veins are the same color, not paler.

(Coleman)

Eating Narrow-leaf Gayfeather

Grass Skippers - subfamily Hesperiinae

? Common Name ** zd 1**Scientific Name

Photo taken in Taylor County, July 2005

Butterfly: x

Caterpillar: x

Pupa: x

Hunting Similar Species

Grass Skippers - subfamily Hesperiinae

likely Green Skipper Hesperia viridis

1 - 1 1/2 inches. Upperside is bright golden-orange; male has a few pale spots on the forewing, female has more. Male stigma on forewing has black felt. Hindwing is bright green-orange to yellow-orange with distinct white spots. Spot band curves away from the margin.

(Taylor, Runnels)

Eating Prairie Verbena.

Grass Skippers - subfamily Hesperiinae

Eufala Skipper Lerodea eufala

Photo taken in Taylor County, June 2005

(Runnels, Coleman, Brown)

Butterfly: 1 - 1 1/4 inches. Like flat grassy areas. Eat nectar.

Caterpillar: Eat grass leaves. Make shelter in rolled and tied leaves

Pupa: x

Similar Species

Grass Skippers - subfamily Hesperiinae

Celia's Roadside-Skipper Amblyscirtes celia

7/8 - 1 1/16 inches. Upperside is dark brown; forewing has a light spot at the end of the cell. Underside of hindwing is gray with 2 rows of distinct white spots.

(Coleman)

Grass Skippers - subfamily Hesperiinae

Dun Skipper Euphyes vestris (ruricola)

1 1/8 - 1 3/8 inches. Upperside of head and thorax is yellow-orange. Wings are brown-black; male forewing has a black stigma, female forewing has very small cloudy white spots.

(Nolan, Callahan)

Spread-wing Skippers - Subfamily Pyrginae

Outis Skipper Cogia outis

1 3/16 - 1 11/16 inches. Upperside is dull reddish brown; forewing has small white spots. Hindwing fringes are brown or tan; sometimes checkered.

(Shackelford, Coleman)

Spread-wing Skippers - Subfamily Pyrginae

Horace's Duskywing Erynnis horatius

1 7/16 - 1 15/16 inches. Fringes are brown. Upperside of male forewing is dark brown with little contrast and no white overscaling. Upperside of female forewing is light brown with a contrasting pattern and large transparent spots. Underside of hindwing is usually without 2 spots below the apex. Male has a costal fold containing yellow scent scales; female has a patch of scent scales on the 7th abdominal segment.

(Taylor, Shackelford, Eastland)

Spread-wing Skippers - Subfamily Pyrginae

Juvenal's Duskywing Erynnis juvenalis

1 1/4 - 1 15/16 inches. Upperside of male is brown with clear spots, indistinct dark markings, and scattered white hairs; female has larger markings and spots. Underside of hindwing has 2 round pale spots below the apex. Male has a costal fold containing yellow scent scales; female has a patch of scent scales on the 7th abdominal segment.

(Jones, Brown)

Spread-wing Skippers - Subfamily Pyrginae

Northern Cloudywing Thorybes pylades

1 1/4 - 1 7/8 inches. Upperside is dark brown; clear spots on forewing are small, triangular, and not aligned. Male forewing has a costal fold enclosing scent scales. Underside is brown with gray overscaling; hindwing has 2 dark bands.

(Coke, Brown)

Male

Drinking from a puddle.

Spread-wing Skippers - subfamily Pyrginae

Common Checkered Skipper Pyrgus communis

Photo taken in Taylor County, July 2005

(Taylor, Nolan, Fisher, Shackelford)

Butterfly: 1"-1 1/2" wide. Male is blue-gray, female is black. Eat nectar from white flowers.

Caterpillar: Black head. Body is tan and covered in short white hairs. Eats mallows. Make folded leaf nests. Caterpillars hibernate.

Pupa: x

Other species found in My Area

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Grass Skippers - subfamily Hesperiinae

Nysa Roadside-Skipper Amblyscirtes nysa

3/4 - 1 3/16 inches. Fringes are checkered black and white. Upperside is black with 3-5 small white spots on the forewing tip. Underside of hindwing is patterned with patches of brown, gray, and black.

(Coleman)

Common Roadside-Skipper Amblyscirtes vialis

7/8 - 1 1/4 inches. Upperside is black with a few small white spots at the tip of the forewing. Underside is dark brown with violet-gray at the forewing tip and the outer half of the hindwing.

(Brown)

Sachem Atalopedes campestris

1 1/4 - 1 5/8 inches. Upperside of male is yellow-orange with a wide brown border and a large squarish black stigma. Female upperside varies from yellow-brown to very dark brown, but always has a square transparent white spot at the end of the forewing cell. Underside of female hindwing is brown with nearly square cream or white spots.

(Taylor, Nolan, Fisher, Jones, Coke, Runnels, Coleman, Brown)

Dotted Roadside-Skipper Amblyscirtes eos

7/8 - 1 1/4 inches. Fringes are white with dark patches at the end of the veins. Upperside is black; forewing has a few very small white spots near the tip and in the center. Underside of hindwing is gray-brown with round white spots that have narrow black borders.

(Eastland, Coleman)

Dotted Skipper Hesperia attalus

1 3/8 - 1 5/8 inches. Variable and rarely seen. Forewing is pointed, particularly in the male. Male: Upperside is dull brownish orange with wide dark borders; stigma on forewing has black felt. Female: Upperside is dark brown with pale spots; underside is green-brown to dull orange with or without small pale spots.

(Brown)

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Spread-wing Skippers - Subfamily Pyrginae

Hoary Edge Achalarus lyciades

1 3/4 - 1 15/16 inches. Upperside of wings is dark brown; center of forewing with a transparent gold band. Fringes are checkered. Underside of hindwing is black-brown with a wide silvery white band along most of the outer margin.

(Eastland)

Funereal Duskywing Erynnis funeralis

1 5/16 - 1 3/4 inches. Forewing is narrow and pointed, hindwing is somewhat triangular. Upperside of wing is black; forewing has a dull brown patch at the end of the cell. Hindwing has white fringe on the outer margin. Male has a costal fold containing yellow scent scales; female has a patch of scent scales on the 7th abdominal segment.

(Taylor, Shackelford, Callahan, Coleman, Brown)

Common Streaky-Skipper Celotes nessus

7/8 - 1 3/16 inches. Upperside is orange-brown to dark brown; each wing has black streaks on the outer half and an irregular median band of small transparent spots. Fringes are checkered.

(Taylor, Shackelford, Coke, Brown)

Common Sootywing Pholisora catullus

1 - 1 5/16 inches. Upperside is glossy black with small white spots on outer third of forewing. Female has more white spots on the forewing than the male, and a submarginal row of spots on the hindwing. Underside of forewing repeats the upperside; hindwing is solid black.

(Fisher, Callahan, Coke, Coleman)

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Giant-Skippers - Subfamily Megathyminae

Yucca Giant-Skipper Megathymus yuccae (incl. coloradensis)

1 7/8 - 3 1/8 inches. Very large and robust. Forewing is long and pointed. Upperside is black; forewing with a yellow band near the lower outer margin and small white spots near the tip and costa; hindwing with a yellow band on the outer margin. Females may have orange-yellow to yellow spots on the hindwing. Underside of hindwing is gray with white spots on the costa.

(Nolan, Callahan, Edwards, Brown)

Strecker's Giant-Skipper Megathymus streckeri (incl. texanus)

2 1/4 - 3 1/16 inches. Forewings are wide. Upperside is black; forewing has white spots near the tip and a yellow band; hindwing has a white to yellow marginal band and long hairlike scales. Underside of hindwing is gray or mottled gray and black, and has few to several white spots.

(Nolan)

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