ENY 3005 Family Identification
Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae
Pronunciation: hess-pah-RYE-i-dee
Common name: skippers
Longtailed skipper, Urbanus proteus (Linnaeus). Larva is the destructive bean leafroller.
Identifying characteristics for the family Hesperiidae include:
- Antennae widely separated at the base and hooked at tips.
- Rest with front and hind wings held at different angles.
- Several species have "tails" on the hind wings.
Additional information:
References:
- Pages 228-229 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970.
A Field Guide to the Insects. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
- Pages 287-290 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978. How to Know
the Insects, 3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
- Page 227 and plates 3-12, 39-48 in P. A. Opler. 1992. A Field Guide to
Eastern Butterflies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 396 p.
- Page 636 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. 1989.
An Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing. 875 p.
- E. J. Gerberg and R. H. Arnett, Jr. 1989. Florida Butterflies [and Skippers].
Baltimore: Natural Science Publications. 90 p.
-
Page 548 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction
to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.
Links to other web sites
Links to other Lepidoptera taxa:
Papilionidae,
Pieridae,
Lycaenidae,
Nymphalidae,
Danaidae,
Satyridae,
Hesperiidae,
Sphingidae,
Saturniidae,
Geometridae,
Arctiidae,
Noctuidae,
Sesiidae.
Return to ENY 3005 Index to Orders
Prepared by John L. Foltz,
University of Florida, Dept of Entomology & Nematology, 20 October 1998.
Modified 12 June 2001.