Traditionally, the Hesperiidae were placed in a
monotypic superfamily Hesperioidea, because they are morphologically distinct from other
Rhopalocera (butterflies), which mostly belong to the typical butterfly superfamily
Papilionoidea. The third and rather small butterfly superfamily is the
moth-butterflies (Hedyloidea), which are restricted to the Neotropics, but recent
phylogenetic analyses suggest the traditional Papilionoidea are
paraphyletic, thus the subfamilies should be reorganized to reflect true
cladistic relationships. '') Collectively, these three groups of butterflies share many characteristics, especially in the
egg,
larval, and
pupal stages. Nevertheless, skippers have the
antennae clubs hooked backward like a
crochet hook, while the typical butterflies have club-like tips to their antennae, and moth-butterflies have feathered or pectinate (comb-shaped) antennae similar to
moths. Skippers also have generally stockier bodies and larger
compound eyes than the other two groups, with stronger wing muscles in the plump
thorax, in this resembling many moths more than the other two butterfly lineages do. Unlike, for example, the
Arctiinae, though, their wings are usually small in proportion to their bodies. Some have larger wings, but only rarely as large in proportion to the body as in other butterflies. Skippers keep their wings usually angled upwards or spread out when at rest, and rarely fold them up completely. '') '') '') on blossoms, including slow motion. '') nectaring The wings are usually well-rounded with more or less sharply tipped forewings. Some have prominent hindwing tails, and others have more angled wings; the skippers' basic wing shapes vary not much by comparison to the Papilionoidea, though. Most have a fairly drab coloration of browns and greys; some are more boldly black-and-white. Yellow, red, and blue hues are less often found, but some largely brown species are quite richly colored, too. Green colors and metallic
iridescence are generally absent.
Sexual dichromatism is present in some; males may have a blackish streak or patch of
scent scales on their forewings. Many species of skippers look very alike. For example, some species in the genera
Amblyscirtes,
Erynnis (duskywings), and
Hesperia (branded skippers) cannot currently be distinguished in the field even by experts. The only reliable method of telling them apart involves dissection and
microscopic examination of the
genitalia, which have characteristic structures that
prevent mating except between
conspecifics. ==Subfamilies==