Skippers | |
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Female Essex skipper, Thymelicus lineola | |
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Family: | Hesperiidae Latreille, 1809
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The skippers are a family of butterflies, the Hesperiidae. They are named after their quick, darting flight.
Skippers used to be classified in their own superfamily, Hesperioidea, because they have their antennae clubs hooked backward like a crochet while the other butterflies have club-like tips to their antennae. Skippers also have generally stockier bodies than regular butterflies, with stronger wing muscles. [1]
There are about 3500 species of skippers.[2] They are usually classified in the following subfamilies:
Many species of skippers look frustratingly alike. For example, some species in the genera Erynnis, Hesperia, and Amblyscirtes cannot currently be distinguished in the field even by experts. The only reliable method of telling them apart involving dissection and examination of the genitalia.
Examples include: