The Butterflies of the World Foundation

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Perching Saliana

Saliana esperi, Evans, 1955

Subfamily Hesperiinae

Tribe Calpodini

Saliana esperi, Mount Saint Benedict, Trinidad, 1 July 2002                 Ref #:  I-124-19.1

Taxonomy

The family Hesperiidae includes all butterflies that are collectively called skippers because of their fast skipping flight.  This family is the sole member of the Superfamily Hesperioidea.  Whereas, the other five families of butterflies belong to the Superfamily Papilionoidea.  So, skippers are considered butterflies, but they have a few traits different than the species of “True” butterflies found in the Superfamily Papilionoidea.  Some of these traits include large eyes, short antennae (often with hooked clubs) and stout bodies.  Most also have a very rapid flight with a fast, almost blurred, wing beat.  There are about 3,500 species of skippers and they’re further divided into seven subfamilies.  They occur worldwide with more found in the tropics. Most species are brown or tan, but some tropical members can be quite colorful.

Saliana esperi, Mount Saint Benedict, Trinidad, 1 July 2002                   Ref #:  I-124-18

General Information:

Saliana esperi belongs to the subfamily Hesperiinae.  This species is found from Mexico south through Central America and northern South America.

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Lifecycle:

The lifecycle of this species is not well known.