Skippers are a group of butterflies placed in the family Hesperiidae within the order Lepidoptera. They were previously placed in a separate superfamily, Hesperioidea; however, the most recent taxonomy places the family in the superfamily Papilionoidea, the butterflies. They are named for their quick, darting flight habits. Most have their antenna tips modified into narrow, hook-like projections. Moreover, skippers mostly have an absence of wing-coupling structure available in most moths. More than 3500 species of skippers are recognized, and they occur worldwide, but with the greatest diversity in the Neotropical regions of Central and South America.
The Lulworth skipper is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. Its name is derived from Lulworth Cove in the county of Dorset, England, where the first specimens in Great Britain were collected in 1832 by English naturalist James Charles Dale.
Hesperia comma, the silver-spotted skipper or common branded skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is known as silver-spotted skipper in Europe and common branded skipper in North America where the butterfly Epargyreus clarus, a spread-winged skipper, also has the common name of "silver-spotted skipper".
Grass skippers or banded skippers are butterflies of the subfamily Hesperiinae, part of the skipper family, Hesperiidae. The subfamily was established by Pierre André Latreille in 1809.
Pyrgus is a genus in the skippers butterfly family, Hesperiidae, known as the grizzled skippers. The name "checkered" or "chequered skipper" may also be applied to some species, but also refers to species in the genera Burnsius and Carterocephalus. They occur in the Holarctic with an additional group of species extending to the Neotropic.
Castniidae, or castniid moths, is a small family of moths with fewer than 200 species: The majority are Neotropical with some in Australia and a few in south-east Asia. These are medium-sized to very large moths, usually with drab, cryptically marked forewings and brightly coloured hindwings. They have clubbed antennae and are day flying, and are often mistaken for butterflies. Indeed, some previous classification systems placed this family within the butterflies or skippers. The Neotropical species are commonly known as giant butterfly-moths, the Australian and Asian species as sun moths. The larvae are internal feeders, often on roots of epiphytes or on monocotyledons.
Euschemon is a genus of skipper butterflies in the family Hesperiidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species Euschemon rafflesia, commonly known as the regent skipper and is found in Australia.
Hesperilla is a genus of skipper butterflies in the family Hesperiidae, found throughout most of Australia.
Anisynta dominula, the two-brand grass-skipper or dominula skipper, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Australia in the mountains of New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria.
Pasma tasmanicus, the two spotted grass skipper, is the only species in the monotypic butterfly genus Pasma of the family Hesperiidae. The genus was erected by Gustavus Athol Waterhouse in 1932. The species was first described by William Henry Miskin in 1889. It is found in the Australian states of New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.
Hesperilla flavescens, also known as the yellow sedge-skipper or yellowish skipper, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the Australian states of South Australia and Victoria.
Hesperilla picta, also known as the painted sedge-skipper or painted skipper, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the Australian states of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
Proeidosa polysema, the polysema skipper or spinifex sand-skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Australia in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia.
Toxidia doubledayi, the Doubleday's skipper or lilac grass-skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the mountains and on the coastal plain of the east coast of Australia, including New South Wales and Queensland.
Timoconia melania, the black skipper or dark grass-skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is endemic to the rainforests of tropical Queensland, Australia.
Timoconia peron, the large dingy skipper or dingy grass-skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
Timoconia tymbophora, the dark shield-skipper or dingy shield skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland.
Carterocephalus palaemon, the chequered skipper or arctic skipper, not to be confused with the large chequered skipper, is a species of woodland butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. This butterfly can live in grasslands. The upperside of the butterfly is brown with orange spots and on its underside the chequered skipper is orange with brown spots. Chequered skippers are found in Great Britain and other European regions, but seen locally in Japan and in North America. The size of the chequered skipper ranges from 19 to 32 mm with females being larger. In the 1970s, the chequered skipper went extinct in England due to the new management of the woodlands.
