Jeffrey Glassberg (2) place from which the specimen originally described by Linnaeus was from) is Sweden. Taxonomistsby Harry Zirlin JustWhy, then, would Wanna Fabricius have named the genus for a classical word meaning Italy? The answer, I believe, lies in the evening sky. In Greek mythology, the three Hesperides, sisters named Hespere, (“evening”), Aegle (“daz- zling light”) and Erytheis (“Crimson”) lived in the far west in the apple orchard of Hera. I All in the believe Fabricius used the name Hesperia as a genus for those dazzling, golden-hued (Sub)Family skippers that were clad in the colors of an evening sunset – red- Those of you with long memories may dish-orange and yellow. recall that back in the winter of 2001 Certainly the skippers this column featured an article entitled in the genus now “Generically Speaking” which discussed the comprising derivation of the genus names for many of the H e s - peria, swallowtails, whites and sulphurs that appear i n c l u d - ing at the beginning of NABA’s Checklist & Common English Names of North American Butterflies Branded Skipper, fit (Second Edition, 2001). I promised then to that description. deal with other genus names in the future and The first North American somehow the future has finally caught up with genus of the Hesperriidae on our Above: Sunset colors? Perhaps. But, me. But rather than picking up where I left checklist is Pyrrhopyge, in the subfam- to be sure, this Common Branded ily Pyrrhopyginae, which contains the single off, I am going to skip ahead to the back of Skipper is set in the sun. NABA’s Checklist and discuss some of the North American representative of a tropical skippers there. group known as “firetips.” The genus was July 23, 2006. Teton Co., Of all the butterfly groups, for some created by the German lepidopterist Jacob WY. reason skippers have long been my favorite. Hübner (1761-1826) in 1819. Our species, Have Fun: Perhaps it is because they are often overlooked Dull Firetip, Pyrrhopyge araxes is an anomaly this by others that I am drawn to them. All because, unlike most other species in this nature skippers are in the family Hesperiidae, and genus, the tip of its abdomen does not contain are joined that name is derived from the genus Hesperia. the fiery crimson or orange color from which to form a scientific The genus name, in turn, is a classical name both the English and scientific names are name, a vowel is meaning “land of the evening” and was derived. The English name, however, is some- added to the first word applied to Italy by Aeneas, the Trojan prince what of a euphemism in my view. “Pyrrh” (in this case an “o”) in order who founded Rome in Virgil’s Aeneid. does indeed mean “fire” or “flame-colored” that the compound word will flow Aeneas, as a Trojan, had to travel west towards as an adjective (the words “pyre” and “fire” or sound better (“euphony”). Thus, a Above: A Desert Checkered- the evening or setting sun to reach Italy. are both derived from the same Greek word) vowel in the middle of a long scientific word Skipper plays dice with the The genus Hesperia was first created in but “pyge” means “rump” or “buttocks.” universe. is often a clue that the name is a compound the 1793 by Johan Fabricius (1745-1808) when So, Pyrrhopyge, literally translated, means Oct. 20, 2003. La word. Indeed, Lepidoptera is just such a way, Hesperia comma (our own Common Branded “flame-colored rump” to put it nicely, though Gloria, Starr Co., name. “Lepid” means “scale” and “ptera” the Skipper) was moved by Fabricius from the not so nicely as “Firetip.” The specific name TX. means wing. The “o” that joins these two hyphen in genus Papilio (the genus into which Linnaeus “araxes” is the name of an important river in words is there for a euphonious effect. “spread-wing” (1707-1778) placed all butterflies and skip- present day Turkey. After the subfamily Pyrrhopyginae, the serves to join the two pers) to this newly created genus. The type Note that both “pyrrh” and “pyge” are next group we come to on the checklist is the words the way the vowel locality of Hesperia comma, (meaning the words that can stand alone. When words of subfamily of spread-wing skippers. By 44 American Butterflies,Fall/Winter 2006 45