Skipper Butterflies of Zihuatanejo

FAMILY HESPERIIDAE

• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

• Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

• Insects (Class Insecta)

• Butterflies and Moths (Order Lepidoptera)

• Butterflies (Superfamily Papilionoidea)

• Skipper Butterflies (Family Hesperiidae)

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​Skippers are named for their rapid, darting flight, which appears as a series of quick skips from flower to flower. They are generally small to medium-sized butterflies with robust bodies, large eyes, strong thoraxes, and relatively short wings, giving them an appearance intermediate between butterflies and moths. A characteristic feature of many skippers is the way they hold their wings at rest, often with the forewings and hindwings positioned at different angles. Members of the family occur in nearly every terrestrial habitat, from tropical rainforests and grasslands to deserts and mountain regions.