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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Butterflies and Skippers (Papilionoidea) » Skippers (Hesperiidae) » Grass Skippers (Hesperiinae) » Hesperiini » Branded Skippers (Hesperia) » Common Branded Skipper - Hodges#4020 (Hesperia comma)

Species Hesperia comma - Common Branded Skipper - Hodges#4020

Classification · Hodges Number · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Works Cited

Common Branded Skipper (Hesperia comma hulbirti) - Hesperia comma - male

Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Superfamily Papilionoidea (Butterflies and Skippers)

Family Hesperiidae (Skippers)

Subfamily Hesperiinae (Grass Skippers)

Tribe Hesperiini

Genus Hesperia (Branded Skippers)

Species comma (Common Branded Skipper - Hodges#4020)

Hodges Number

4020

Size

25-28mm

Identification

Ventral, orange to brown with bold white spots.

Range

From northern New England across Canada to Alaska, west from California over to New Mexico.

Habitat

Open grassy areas.

Season

May to September depending on location and elevation. Peak flight is July to August.

Food

Grasses

Life Cycle

One brood, larva overwinters.

See Also

Leonard's Skipper has a single white spot in the central hindwing, Common Branded has 2 irregular white spots.

Print References

(1) (2) (3) (4)

Works Cited

1.	Butterflies of the East Coast : An Observer's Guide Rick Cech, Guy Tudor. 2005. Princeton University Press.

2.	Butterflies of North America (Kaufman Focus Guides) Jim P. Brock, Kenn Kaufman. 2003. Houghton Mifflin Co.

3.	Butterflies Through Binoculars: The East Jeffrey Glassberg. 1999. Oxford University Press.

4.	Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West : A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Western North America (Butterflies and Others Thr Jeffrey Glassberg. 2001. Oxford University Press.

Contributed by Joel Kits on 13 March, 2005 - 2:03pm
Additional contributions by Steve Nanz, tom murray, John Pearson
Last updated 2 July, 2017 - 7:32am

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