Species Page: Small Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus scriptura)

Small Checkered Skipper

Pyrgus scriptura (Boisduval, 1852)

Family: Hesperiidae

Status: Rare western resident, probably extirpated

NENHP Ranking: Not listed

Range: Found from western North Dakota and Montana south into Mexico and Arizona. In Nebraska it has been found in Sioux and Scotts Bluff Counties.

Larval Hostplant(s): Sida species, Red False Mallow (Sphaeralcia coccinea) and other Malvaceae.

Broods/Flight Times: Two to three flights to the west, flying from March to mid-May, again in late June to mid-July and lastly from mid-August into October.

Overwintering: As a full-grown caterpillar.

Habitat: It should be searched for in wastelands, alkali areas and shortgrass prairies in association with its hostplants.

Avg. Wingspan: 3/4 – 1 inch

Found at:

Similar Species: Common Checkered Skipper

Notes: There is a specimen in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln collection labeled Hat Creek Valley ( Sioux County), 29 June 1911, R. H. Wolcott. Leussler (1938) cites the same date and county but lists the locality as Prairie Dog Creek.

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