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Photo#217992
Two Skippers - Atalopedes campestris - male - female

Two Skippers - Atalopedes campestris - Male Female
Michiana, Berrien County, Michigan, USA
August 2, 2008
Size: Fairly Small
I'm confused about the identity of the two skippers in this photo. I think the differing size of the skippers is the biggest factor in my confusion. If I were looking at the two alone I would probably identify the skipper in the foreground as an Ottoe Skipper and the skipper in the background as an Indian Skipper, but I know that H. ottoe is typically slightly larger than H. sassacus, not vice versa. Is it possible to have this size discrepancy with a male H. ottoe and a female H. sassacus? Also, the habitat isn't right for H. ottoe, though it's perfect for H. sassacus and the timing is a little late for H. sassacus, though perfect for H. ottoe.
Of course, I wouldn't be at all surprised if both of my ids were wrong.
Anyways, it's interesting that the two ended up perched on the same leaf.

Images of this individual: tag all
Two Skippers - Atalopedes campestris - male - female Two Skippers - Atalopedes campestris - male Two Skippers - Atalopedes campestris - female Two Skippers - Atalopedes campestris - female

Sachem Skippers
You have two Sachem Skippers here. The top one is a female and the bottom one is a male specimen. They appear to be, and pardon me if this is too technical sounding - "chillin'."

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From Alberta I recognize 2 patterns here; Branded Skipper in the back and European in the front but I am not away of any others in your area.

 
European?
From my experience the antennae don't look wrong.

The vague dorsal view on the second one looks quite like branded skipper. But maybe they are different genders of the same species, given close proximity.

 
I considered European Skipper
I considered European Skipper, which initially appeared the more likely candidate, but then dismissed it because the antennae appear too long for European Skipper and the antennal clubs too large. Also, the photo seems to show that the anterior forewing is entirely orange dorsally, though it's hard to see how extensive the orange coloring actually is.

I didn't consider Branded-Skipper; the markings appear to better match Branded-Skipper than Indian skipper, only not so bold. Also, my Kaufman guide suggests that a Branded-Skipper in far southwestern Michigan would be somewhat unusual. The timing might also be better explained by Branded-Skipper than by Indian Skipper.

Thanks for the input!

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