Hesperia sassacus

Hesperia sassacus, the Indian skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae.

Indian skipper
On Canada hawkweed

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Hesperia
Species:
H. sassacus
Binomial name
Hesperia sassacus
Harris, 1862

Taxonomy

The following subspecies are recognised:[2]

  • Hesperia sassacus sassacus Harris, 1862
  • Hesperia sassacus manitoboides (Fletcher, 1889)
  • Hesperia sassacus nantahala Gatrelle & Grkovich, 2003

Description

The wingspan is 25–30 mm. The flight period is late May to early July.[3]

Museum specimen

Distribution and habitat

It is found from northeastern U.S., and in Canada in southwestern New Brunswick and in a broad band from the Eastern Townships of Quebec through to southern Manitoba.[3]

Ecology and behaviour

The larvae feed on nodding fescue (Festuca obtusa), poverty grass (Danthonia spicata), and panic grass (Panicum), Bouteloua, Andropogon, Aristida, and Poaceae species.[3][4]

References
  1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 Hesperia sassacus Indian Skipper". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  2. "Hesperia". www.nic.funet.fi. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  3. Indian Skipper, Butterflies of Canada
  4. Hesperia, funet.fi
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