''Hesperia sassacus'', the Indian skipper, is a butterfly of the family

Hesperiidae Skippers are a family of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) named the Hesperiidae. Being diurnal, they are generally called butterflies. They were previously placed in a separate superfamily, Hesperioidea; however, the most recent taxonomy ...

Taxonomy

The following subspecies are recognised: *''Hesperia sassacus sassacus'' Harris, 1862 *''Hesperia sassacus manitoboides'' (Fletcher, 1889) *''Hesperia sassacus nantahala'' Gatrelle & Grkovich, 2003

Description

The wingspan is 25–30 mm. The flight period is late May to early July. Hesperia sassacus

Distribution and habitat

It is found from northeastern U.S., and in Canada in southwestern New Brunswick and in a broad band from the

Eastern Townships The Eastern Townships (french: Cantons de l'Est) is an historical administrative region in southeastern Quebec, Canada. It lies between the St. Lawrence Lowlands and the American border, and extends from Granby in the southwest, to Drummondv ...

of Quebec through to southern Manitoba.Indian Skipper
Butterflies of Canada

Ecology and behaviour

The larvae feed on nodding fescue (''

Festuca obtusa ''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...

''), poverty grass ('' Danthonia spicata''), and panic grass ('' Panicum''), '' Bouteloua'', ''

Andropogon ''Andropogon'' ( common names: beard grass, bluestem grass, broomsedge) is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, native to much of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as southern Europe and various oceanic islands. Over 100 spec ...

'', '' Aristida'', and

Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

species.''Hesperia''
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References

External links

Indian Skipper
Butterflies and Moths of North America {{Taxonbar, from=Q5745864 Hesperia (butterfly) Butterflies described in 1862