Grass skippers or banded skippers[5] are butterflies of the subfamily Hesperiinae, part of the skipper family, Hesperiidae. The subfamily was established by Pierre André Latreille in 1809.[3]
Description and distribution
With over 2,000 described species, this is the largest skipper butterfly subfamily and occurs worldwide except in New Zealand.[6] About 50 percent of grass skippers live in the Neotropics.[7] 137 species are native to North America. Around 38 species are native to Australia.[8] Genera Ochlodes and Hesperia exist exclusively in the Holarctic.[9]
They are usually orange, rust, or brown in colour and have pointed forewings.[5] Many species have dark markings or black stigmas on their forewings.[5] Most members of this subfamily have an oval antenna club with an apiculus on the tip, although Carterocephalus and Piruna do not.[10] The antennae generally has a sharp bend.
Hesperiinae larvae feed on many different types of grasses and sedges and palms, though some species are limited.[10][11]
Adults typically visit flowers and hold their wings together while feeding.[5] Hesperiinae are unique in that they hold their wings partially open while resting, with the forewings and hindwings held at different angles. This is known as the "jet-plane position".[12] Most male grass skippers perch to await females.[10]
Adults are strong fliers; they move quickly and usually in a linear direction. Some of the species, however, do flutter and these species patrol for females rather than perch.[10]
Conservation
The following grass skippers are considered at risk.[13]
^ abBrower, Andrew V.Z.; Warren, Andrew. "Hesperiinae Latreille 1809". The Tree of Life Web Project. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^Cong, Qian; Zhang, Jing; Shen, Jinhui; Grishin, Nick (2019). "Fifty new genera of Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera)". Insecta Mundi. 0731: 1–56.
^ abcdDaniels, Jaret C. (2003). Butterflies of the Carolinas. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications, Inc. p. 9. ISBN1-59193-007-3.
^Boggs, Carol L.; Watt, Ward B.; Ehrlich, Paul R., eds. (2003). Butterflies Ecology and Evolution Taking Flight. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press. p. 480. ISBN0-226-06317-8.
^Kükenthal, Willy (1999). Schmidt-Rhaesa, Andreas; Kristensen, Niels P. (eds.). VOLUME 1: EVOLUTION, SYSTEMATICS, AND BIOGEOGRAPHY. Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter. p. 274. ISBN9-783-11015-704-8.
^Kitching, R.L.; Scheermeyer, E.; Jones, R.E.; Pierce, N.E., eds. (1999). Biology of Australian Butterflies. Collingwood, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. p. 71. ISBN0-6430-5027-2.
^Kristensen, Niels P. (1999). Lepidoptera, moths, and butterflies. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter. p. 274. ISBN9783110157048.
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