Species Page: Dotted Skipper (Hesperia attalus)

Family: Hesperiidae

Status: Extirpated resident – no Nebraska records since 1922

NENHP Ranking: Not listed

Range: Found from southern Kansas into Texas and on the east coast from New York to Mississippi. In Nebraska the only record(s) are from Douglas County.

Larval Hostplant(s): Grasses: Bouteloua curtipendula, Pancium virgatum and Aristida species.

Broods/Flight Times: Two flights in Kansas, June to early July, and late August to mid-September. Nebraska records were from June 17 – 21.

Overwintering: As larvae in partially buried leaf shelters.

Habitat: Prairie areas.

Avg. Wingspan: 1 3/8 – 1 5/8 inches

Found at:

Similar Species:

Notes: R. A. Leussler (1939) reports this species from Omaha – one female on June 21, 1913 and two females and a male on June 17, 1922. Those records are the northernmost for the central United States population (which normally is not found north of southern Kansas and southwestern Missouri). It should not be expected in the state again.