The giant-skippers (Megathymini) are a tribe of

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

in the family

Hesperiidae Skippers are a group of butterflies placed in the family Hesperiidae within the order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). They were previously placed in a separate superfamily, Hesperioidea, but have since been placed in the superfamily Papilion ...

Taxonomy

Formerly, some authorities have classified the tribe as the disputed

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Megathyminae, but more modern classifications have placed it within the subfamily

Hesperiinae Grass skippers or banded skippers are butterflies of the subfamily Hesperiinae, part of the skipper family, Hesperiidae. The subfamily was established by Pierre André Latreille in 1809. Description and distribution With over 2,000 described sp ...

. The tribe Megathymini includes five

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

and about eighteen species. These butterflies typically live in

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

areas of the south-western United States and Mexico.

Biology

The giant-skippers are larger than the other members of the family Hesperiidae, but are medium-sized butterflies with thick bodies. They tend to be brown with yellow markings. The antennae are unhooked and some species even possess a short apiculus. Long hairlike scales are present on the upperwings of males. Their flight is fast and rapid. Males are territorial and tend to perch on low vegetation. Adults do not derive sustenance from flowers and rarely feed. Males do visit wet sand in order to drink. The eggs of members of the genera ''Megathymus'' and ''Stallingsia'' are glued to leaves, while the eggs of ''Agathymus'' species are dumped into host plant clumps. The

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s of the giant-skippers bury themselves into the leaf or stem of a plant and feed from within the silk-lined tunnels they create.

Pupae A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...

are formed in these tunnels.

Genera

The tribe of includes the following genera: * ''

Agathymus ''Agathymus'' is a genus of butterflies in the skipper family, Hesperiidae. They occur in the North American deserts. The genus was described by Hugh Avery Freeman in 1959. The larvae bore into the stems of agave plants. These butterflies have ...

'' * '' Carystoides'' Godman, 1901 * ''

Megathymus ''Megathymus'' is a genus of butterflies in the skipper family, Hesperiidae. Selected species *'' Megathymus beulahae'' *'' Megathymus cofaqui'' (Strecker, 1876) *'' Megathymus streckeri'' *'' Megathymus texanus'' *'' Megathymus ursus'' (Poli ...

'' * ''

Stallingsia ''Stallingsia'' is a genus of butterflies in the skipper family, Hesperiidae Skippers are a group of butterflies placed in the family Hesperiidae within the order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). They were previously placed in a separate ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q21447462 Hesperiidae Megathyminae