FAMILY II 



THE COMMON SKIPPERS 



Family Hesperiidae (Hes-pe-ri'i-dae) 



The family Hesperiidae includes all skippers found in the 

 United States except those already described as the giant 

 skippers. Fig. 41 represents the venation of a member of 

 this family. 



The larva? of the common skippers presents a very character- 

 istic appearance, having large heads and strongly constricted 



necks (Fig. 43). They 

 usually live concealed 

 in a folded leaf or in 

 a nest made of sev- 

 eral leaves fastened 

 together. The pupa; 

 are rounded, not an- 

 gular, resembling 

 those of moths more than those of butterflies. The pupa state 

 is passed in a slight cocoon, which is generally composed of 

 leaves fastened together with silk and thinly lined with the 

 same substance. 



The family Hesperiida; includes three subfamilies ; one 

 of these is represented in this country by a single species 

 found in Arizona and Mexico. The other two subfamilies 

 can be separated by the following table : 



260 



Fig. 43. — Larva of the silver-spotted 

 skipper. 



