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National Moth Week was July 19-27, and the Summer 2025 gathering in Louisiana, July 19-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Species Hesperia meskei - Meske's Skipper - Hodges#4030

Meske's Skipper - Hesperia meskei - male

Meskes October - Hesperia meskei - female

Meske's Skipper - Hesperia meskei - female

Grass Skipper on Aureolaria - Possibly Hesperia meskei? - Hesperia meskei

Georgia Meske's - Hesperia meskei - female

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

Subtribe Hesperiina

Genus Hesperia (Branded Skippers)

Species meskei (Meske's Skipper - Hodges#4030)

Hodges Number

4030

Other Common Names

Dixie Skipper

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Orig. Comb: Pamphila Meskei W. H. Edwards, 1877

Explanation of Names

pinocayo - Pine Key

Numbers

three subspecies:

Hesperia meskei meskei (W. H. Edwards, 1877) - Meske's Skipper

Hesperia meskei straton (W. H. Edwards, 1881) – Easter Meske's Skipper

Hesperia meskei pinocayo Gatrelle & Minno, 2003 – Rockland Skipper

Range

TX-FL-VA-OK - MPG

Season

yr round in FL; mostly: June, Sept-Oct in other states - MPG

Food

grasses (Poaceae) (1)

Remarks

Type Locality: "Bastrop Co., Texas"

Hesperia meskei pinocayo Gatrelle & Minno, 2003

Type Locality: "Florida: Monroe County, Big Pine Key"

Not seen in the last six years of Florida surveys conducted for the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District - Liston, 2013

As of June 2013, considered likely extinct: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Print References

Gatrelle, R.R., M.C. Minno, and A. Grkovich. 2003. A subspecific assessment of the genus Hesperia (Hesperiinae) in eastern North America (Part I: The South): New Subspecies of Hesperia metea, Hesperia sassacus and Hesperia meskei. The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey, 4(3): 1-7.

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group - MPG

meskei - Butterflies of America - BOA

straton - Butterflies of America - BOA

pinocayo - Butterflies of America - BOA

Works Cited

1.	Florida Butterfly Caterpillars And Their Host Plants Marc C. Minno, JERRY F. BUTLER, DONALD W. HALL. 2005. University Press Florida.

Contributed by Will Cook on 30 September, 2006 - 8:18pm
Additional contributions by Mike Quinn, Jason D. Roberts
Last updated 5 January, 2014 - 11:45pm

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