Hesperia (butterfly)

Hesperia
Hesperia comma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Tribe: Hesperiini
Genus: Hesperia
Fabricius, 1793
Species

About 20 - see text

Synonyms
  • Pamphila Fabricius, 1807
  • Diorthosus Rafinesque, 1815
  • Steropes Rafinesque, 1815
  • Phidias Rafinesque, 1815
  • Symmachia Sodoffsky, 1837
  • Ocytes Scudder, 1872
  • Anthomaster Scudder, 1872
  • Urbicola Tutt, 1905
  • Pamphilus Ihering, 1908
Hesperia comma female
Hesperia comma female

Hesperia, the branded skippers, is a Holarctic genus in the skippers (Hesperiidae) butterfly family. Most species are endemic to North America, Hesperia comma is widespread throughout the region. H. florinda is endemic to temperate eastern Asia. H. nabokovi is endemic to Hispaniola.

Presumably, Johan Christian Fabricius named the genus for Hesperia, one of the Hesperides.