The Hesperiidae

Long Tailed Skipper

Skippers are small, fast flying, often dark in color and small butterflies that are remarkably quick in their movements and often so similar that identifying them can be a maddening task. About 3500 species of the family Hesperiidae, commonly known as Skippers, have been identified around the world so far. Roughly one third of the butterflies found in North America belong to this family of butterflies, yet few people have ever heard of a Skipper. Thus, today we'd like to give you a formal introduction to the world of the Skippers.

The Family Hesperiidae

What Makes Skippers Different?

• Antennae: The antenna of Skippers are often short, wide set on the butterfly's head and are sometimes hooked on the end.
• Size: Skippers are usually small butterflies
• Eyes: The eyes of Skippers are often noticeably larger than the eyes of other butterflies.
• Bodies: Skipper often have wide, stocky and hairy bodies, much larger in proportion to their wings than other butterflies.
• Color: Skippers are often drab in color. Brown, orange and similar dark colors are often observed.

Where to Find Skippers

Whirlabout nectaring on a Zinnia

Skipper butterflies are all around us, but because of their often bland coloring they are sometimes mistaken as moths. Any time you see a large patch of small flowers, slow down and take a close look. Skippers are small and fast, but also can be quite beautiful.

From roadside wildflowers to urban areas like an overgrown empty lot, Skippers can often be found busily going about the business of being a butterfly. Look among the overgrown wildflowers in any garden or patch of dirt, especially overgrown and weedy Spanish Needles (Bidens alba) and you will find a wealth of pollinators, including Skippers.

Remember to look for the right size of butterflies or you can entirely overlook the Hesperiidae: You will be looking for butterflies that are often smaller than a US quarter coin.

Evolutionary, Where Do Skippers Fit In?

Silver Spotted Skipper

Skipper are a tricky lot. Taxonimically, Skippers are listed as a sister superfamily to the True Butterflies (Papilionoidea) and are indeed considered to be butterflies, rather than moths. They are day flying, like butterflies, but have some physical characteristics that are more similar to moths. As more and more research is done on the genomes of various species, we will come to learn more about them and perhaps be able to give a more definitive explanation than: Well, they are considered to be a butterfly, sorta. For now, if you'd like to know more about butterfly Taxonomy, check out this post that goes a bit more in depth on the topic.

Checklists

If you want to know what species to keep a watch for, Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) keeps regional checklists of butterflies that have been observed and reported in each state. Take a look at the Checklist for Florida and you'll see just how many species of Skippers you might encounter while watching for butterflies in Florida:

Phocides pigmalion Mangrove Skipper

Fiery Skipper

Proteides mercurius Mercurial Skipper

Epargyreus zestos Zestos Skipper

Epargyreus clarus Silver-spotted Skipper

Polygonus leo Hammock Skipper

Polygonus savigny Manuel's Skipper

Urbanus proteus Long-tailed Skipper

Urbanus dorantes Dorantes Longtail

Autochton cellus Golden Banded-Skipper

Achalarus lyciades Hoary Edge

Thorybes pylades Northern Cloudywing

Thorybes bathyllus Southern Cloudywing

Thorybes confusis Confused Cloudywing

Staphylus hayhurstii Hayhurst's Scallopwing

Ephyriades brunnea Florida Duskywing

Erynnis brizo Sleepy Duskywing

Erynnis juvenalis Juvenal's Duskywing

Erynnis horatius Horace's Duskywing

Erynnis martialis Mottled Duskywing

Erynnis zarucco Zarucco Duskywing

Erynnis funeralis Funereal Duskywing

Erynnis baptisiae Wild Indigo Duskywing

Pyrgus communis Common Checkered-Skipper

Pyrgus albescens White Checkered-Skipper

Pyrgus oileus Tropical Checkered-Skipper

Pholisora catullus Common Sootywing

Nastra lherminier Swarthy Skipper

Nastra neamathla Neamathla Skipper

Cymaenes tripunctus Three-spotted Skipper

Lerema accius Clouded Skipper

Ancyloxypha numitor Least Skipper

Copaeodes minima Southern Skipperling

Tropical Checkerspot

Hylephila phyleus Fiery Skipper

Hesperia attalus Dotted Skipper

Hesperia meskei Meske's Skipper

Atalopedes campestris Sachem

Polites themistocles Tawny-edged Skipper

Polites baracoa Baracoa Skipper

Polites origenes Crossline Skipper

Polites vibex Whirlabout

Wallengrenia egeremet Northern Broken-Dash

Wallengrenia otho Southern Broken-Dash

Pompeius verna Little Glassywing

Atrytone arogos Arogos Skipper

Anatrytone logan Delaware Skipper

Problema byssus Byssus Skipper

Poanes zabulon Zabulon Skipper

Poanes viator Broad-winged Skipper

Poanes aaroni Aaron's Skipper

Poanes yehl Yehl Skipper

Euphyes pilatka Palatka Skipper

Euphyes berryi Berry's Skipper

Euphyes dion Dion Skipper

Euphyes dukesi Dukes' Skipper

Euphyes arpa Palmetto Skipper

Euphyes vestris Dun Skipper

Asbolis capucinus Monk

Atrytonopsis hianna Dusted Skipper

Amblyscirtes hegon Pepper and Salt Skipper

Amblyscirtes reversa Reversed Roadside-Skipper

Amblyscirtes aesculapius Lace-winged Roadside-Skipper

Amblyscirtes vialis Common Roadside-Skipper

Amblyscirtes alternata Dusky Roadside-Skipper

Amblyscirtes belli Bell's Roadside-Skipper

Lerodea eufala Eufala Skipper

Oligoria maculata Twin-spot Skipper

Calpodes ethlius Brazilian Skipper

Panoquina panoquin Salt Marsh Skipper

Panoquina panoquinoides Obscure Skipper

Panoquina ocola Ocola Skipper

Nyctelius nyctelius Violet-banded Skipper

Megathymus yuccae Yucca Giant-Skipper

Megathymus cofaqui Cofaqui Giant-Skipper