Skipper (butterfly)

Skipper
Ochlodes sylvanus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Hesperiidae
Latreille, 1809
Type species
Hesperia comma
Diversity
12 subfamilies, about 550 genera
Western blue policeman (Pyrrhiades lucagus)

Skippers are a group of butterflies placed in the family Hesperiidae within the order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). 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.[1] 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.[2]

  1. ^ "Skipper | lepidopteran family". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  2. ^ Ackery et al. (1999)