
Belongs within: Obtectomera.
Contains: Hasora, Pyrginae, Toxidia, Hesperilla, Trapezites, Pamphila, Hesperiinae.
The Hesperiidae, skippers, are a group of butterfly-like Lepidoptera with an erratic, quick flight. They have their antennal bases spaced relatively far apart and the antennal club usually has a small apical hook. The fore wing lacks forked peripheral veins (Braby 2000). Many skippers are dully coloured and species may be very difficult to distinguish.
Several subfamilies are currently recognised, including the Megathyminae, giant skippers, of arid regions of North America that have sometimes been recognised as a distinct family. The Trapezitinae of Australasia are relatively small, stout-bodied skippers whose larvae feed on monocotyledons such as grasses or sedges. The Coeliadinae, awls, are relatively large, robust hesperiids found in the Afrotropical, Oriental and Australian regions. Coeliadine larvae are brightly coloured and feed on dicotyledons, particularly Leguminosae (Braby 2000). Urbanus is a Neotropical genus of skippers with a long tail extending from each of the hind wings.
Characters (from Braby 2000): Adults small to medium-sized, head broad, body stout, wings relatively short, usually sombre brown but sometimes brightly coloured; antennae widely separated at base, apiculus of club curved or sharply bent with tip blunt or pointed; fore wing with five branches on radial vein, all arising separately from cell, and one anal vein; hind wing with humeral vein usually present, two anal veins, tornus usually rounded or sometimes slightly produced but rarely tailed; both sexes with six normal functional legs, tarsi with a pair of apical claws; fore tibia with epiphysis on inner side. Egg hemispherical or dome-shaped, smooth but often with series of longitudinal ribs. Final instar larva cylindrical, tapering at each end, finely spinulose with numerous secondary setae; head comparatively large, larger than prothorax; osmeterium absent; crochets of prolegs in a circle; anal comb usually present. Pupa usually concealed inside larval shelter, attached by cremaster and sometimes also by central girdle.
<==Hesperiidae [Hesperioidea] |--+--HesperiinaeKP19 | `--Megathymus [Megathyminae, Megathymidae]KP19 | `--M. yuccaeKP19 `--Urbanus [Eudamiinae]KP19 |--U. dorantes (Stoll 1791)FS54 | |--U. d. dorantesPP72 | `--U. d. galapagensisPP72 |--U. eurycles (Latreille 1723)FS54 | |--U. e. euryclesFS54 | `--U. e. latipennis (Marille & Vuillot 1891)FS54 |--U. gracilicauda (Plötz 1880)FS54 |--U. proteus (Linnaeus 1758)FS54 `--U. undulatus (Hewitson 1867)FS54 Hesperiidae incertae sedis: Phareas Westwood 1852 [=Phareus (l. c.) non Simon 1879]K03 Thymele fulminans Herrich-Schäffer 1869FS54 Nascus phocus (Cramer 1779)S55 Cogia calchas (Herrich-Schäffer 1869)FS54 Spathilepia clonius (Cramer 1779)FS54 Phanus vitreus (Cramer 1782)S55 PelliciaS55 |--P. bromias (Godman & Salvin 1894)FS54 `--P. polyctor (Prittwitz 1868)S55 MylonS55 |--M. brasilicola (Strand 1920)S55 `--M. lassia (Hewitson 1868)FS54 Antigonus erosus (Hübner 1820)FS54 Copaeodes aurantiaca (Hewitson 1868)FS54 Calpodes ethlius (Cramer 1782)FS54 Panoquina vala (Mabille 1891)FS54 CobalusFS54 |--C. carbo Mabille 1890M90b |--C. corvinus Mabille 1890M90b |--C. debilisM90b |--C. duplex Mabille 1890M90b |--C. subcordataFS54 `--C. subfacatus Mabille 1890M90b PyrrhopygeGE05 [PyrrhopyginaeB2000] |--P. creonGE05 `--P. josephina Draudt 1921S55 Mysoria thasus (Cramer 1782)S55 Jemadia suzetta Mabille & Boullet 1908S55 GoniurusS55 |--G. decurtatus Herrich-Schäffer 1869S55 |--G. eurycles Latreille 1823S55 |--G. leucogramma Mabille 1888S55 `--G. undulatus Hewitson 1867S55 Chioides catillus (Cramer 1782)S55 TelegonusS55 |--T. creteus (Cramer 1782)S55 `--T. mephitis Hewitson 1876S55 Paches loxus (Westwood & Hewitson 1852)S55 Eudamidas ozema (Butler 1870)S55 Ebrietas infanda (Butler 1877)S55 ThymelicusS55 |--T. athenion (Hübner 1816)S55 `--T. lineolus Ochsenheimer 1808B08 Carystus ebusa (Cramer 1782)S55 Pyrrhopygopsis cleanthes (Latreille 1823)S55 Elbella etnaGE05 Pamphilites abditaGE05 Erionota thraxMHG04, VHK02 ParosmodesD01 |--P. icteriaB01a `--P. numa Druce 1901D01 AclerosB01a |--A. biguttulus Mabille 1890M90b |--A. instabilis Mabille 1890M90b |--A. leucopygaM90b |--A. mackeniiB01a |--A. placidusB01a `--A. ploetzi Mabille 1890M90b Andronymus philanderB01a Kedestes wallengreniiB01a CeratrichiaB01a |--C. punctulataB01a |--C. quaterna Mabille 1890M90a `--C. stellataB01a Eretis lugensB01b Gomalia elmaB01b Cyclopides quadrisignataB01b Padraona zenoB01b Gegenes letterstedtiB01b Rhopalocampta forestanB01b LeremaKP19 HeteropterinaeB2000 CoeliadinaeJ03 |--ChoaspesJ03 |--HasoraB2000 |--Allora Waterhouse & Lyell 1914B2000 | |--A. doleschallii (Felder 1860)B2000 | `--A. major (Rothschild 1915)B2000 |--IsmeneS72 | |--I. jainaS72 | `--I. ladonWM66 `--Badamia Moore 1881B2000 |--B. atrox (Butler 1877)B2000 | |--B. a. atroxPP02 | `--B. a. subflavaPP02 `--B. exclamationis (Fabricius 1775)B12 PyrginaeJ03 TrapezitinaeJ03 |--ToxidiaB2000 |--HesperillaB2000 |--TrapezitesB2000 |--Felicina Waterhouse 1932B2000 |--Hewitsoniella Shepard 1931B2000 |--Rachelia Hemming 1964B2000 | `--R. extrusus (Felder & Felder 1867)B2000 |--Pasma Waterhouse 1932B2000 | `--P. tasmanicus (Miskin 1889)B2000 |--Dispar Waterhouse & Lyell 1914B2000 | `--D. compacta (Butler 1882)B2000 |--Proeidosa Atkins 1973B2000 | `--P. polysema (Lower 1908)B12 |--Signeta Waterhouse & Lyell 1914B2000 | |--S. flammeata (Butler 1882)B2000 | `--S. tymbophora (Meyrick & Lower 1902)B2000 |--Croitana Waterhouse 1932B2000 | |--C. aestiva Edwards 1979B2000 | |--C. arenaria Edwards 1979B2000 | `--C. croites (Hewitson 1874) [incl. C. croites pindar (Waterhouse 1932)]B2000 |--Neohesperilla Waterhouse & Lyell 1914B2000 | |--N. croceus (Miskin 1889)B2000 | |--N. senta (Miskin 1891)B2000 | |--N. xanthomera (Meyrick & Lower 1902)B2000 | `--N. xiphiphora (Lower 1911)B2000 |--Oreisplanus Waterhouse & Lyell 1914B2000 | |--O. munionga (Olliff 1890)B2000 | | |--O. m. muniongaB2000 | | `--O. m. larana Couchman 1962B2000 | `--O. perornata (Kirby 1893)B2000 |--Herimosa Atkins 1994B2000 | `--H. albovenata (Waterhouse 1940) [=Anisynta albovenata]B2000 | |--H. a. albovenataB2000 | |--H. a. fuscata (Parson 1965)B2000 | `--H. a. weemala (Couchman 1954)B2000 |--Mesodina Meyrick 1901B2000 | |--M. aeluropis Meyrick 1901B2000 | |--M. cyanophracta Lower 1911B2000 | |--M. gracillima Edwards 1987B2000 | |--M. halyzia (Hewitson 1868)B2000 | `--M. hayi Edwards & Graham 1995B2000 |--Motasingha Watson 1893B2000 | |--M. dirphia (Hewitson 1868)B2000 | |--M. dominulaP27 | `--M. trimaculata (Tepper 1882)B2000 | |--M. t. trimaculataB2000 | |--M. t. dilata Waterhouse 1932 [incl. M. trimaculata dea Waterhouse 1933]B2000 | `--M. t. occidentalis Moulds & Atkins 1986B2000 |--Antipodia Atkins 1984B2000 | |--A. atralba (Tepper 1882)B2000 | |--A. chaostola (Meyrick 1888) [=Hesperilla chaostola]B2000 | | |--A. c. chaostolaB2000 | | |--A. c. chares (Waterhouse 1933)B2000 | | `--A. c. leucophaea (Couchman 1946)B2000 | `--A. dactyliota (Meyrick 1888) [=A. atralba dactyliota]B2000 | |--A. d. dactyliotaB2000 | `--A. d. nila (Waterhouse 1932)B2000 `--Anisynta Lower 1911B2000 |--A. cynone (Hewitson 1874)B2000 | |--A. c. cynone [incl. A. cynone gracilis (Tepper 1882), A. cynone grisea Waterhouse 1932]B2000 | `--A. c. gunneda Couchman 1954B2000 |--A. dominula (Plötz 1884)B2000 | |--A. d. dominula (see below for synonymy)B2000 | `--A. d. pria (Waterhouse 1932)B2000 |--A. monticolae (Olliff 1890)B2000 |--A. sphenosema (Meyrick & Lower 1902)B2000 `--A. tillyardi Waterhouse & Lyell 1912B2000 Oxypalpus rusoB1900 GorgythionE66 StaphylusE66 MegistiasE66 SystaseaE66 PamphilaM89a ButleriaM89b |--B. dognini Mabille 1889M89b |--B. polydesma Mabille 1889M89b |--B. quadristiga Mabille 1889M89b `--B. riza Mabille 1889M89b Steropes furvus Mabille 1890M90a ‘Choristoneura’ Mabille 1890 non Lederer 1859M90a `--*C. apicalis Mabille 1890M90a Chetoneura callixenusM90a Hyda Mabille 1890M90c `--*H. micacea Mabille 1890M90c Stethotrix Mabille 1890M90c `--*S. heterogyna Mabille 1890M90c Dis Mabille 1890M90c `--*D. annulatus Mabille 1890M90c
Anisynta dominula dominula [incl. A. dominula drachmophora (Meyrick 1885), A. dominula draco Waterhouse 1938, A. dominula dyris Waterhouse 1938]B2000
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
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