Hesperia challenges in Washington

Skippers have always been difficult for me to identify, so I spent part of my Christmas vacation tackling the four species of Hesperia that are found here in Washington: Juba (H. juba), Western Branded (H. colorado), Common Branded (H. comma), and Nevada (H. nevada) skippers.  Western and Common branded skippers are sometimes considered the same species (organized under H. comma), but I follow the taxonomy of Butterflies of Oregon (Warren, 2005) and A Catalogue of the Butterflies of the United States and Canada (Pelham, 2008, continuously updated on the Butterflies of America website), both of which consider them separate species.
Note: click on any of the photos to view them at full-size.

Comparison of Hesperia species of Washington. All are male. Circles and numbers correspond to descriptions below.

Juba Skipper - Hesperia juba
This is the largest of the four species, and is often easily ID'd in the field by the hairs on the thorax reflecting bright turquoise blue in the sun. This species is a bright orange/gold overall, and is mostly confused with Western Branded Skippers.
The following numbers correspond to the numbers in the image above.
1 - this bar is usually larger than in the other three species.
2 - distinct brown margin with toothed/streaked orange markings, the two colors are very distinct and do not seem to "dissolve" into each other as much as the other three species.
3 - light gold/yellowish spots are indistinct, compared to Common Branded Skipper.
4 - white spot not as indented as Nevada Skipper, and wing base-color is not as dusky.

Juba Skippers

Juba Skipper, with slight turquoise reflection on the thorax.

Western Branded Skipper - Hesperia colorado
This species is generally bright orange/gold and mostly confused with Juba Skippers. It is not as dusky overall and is widespread in Washington, compared to the Common Branded Skipper which is usually darker and has a restricted range in Washington.
1 - this bar is usually smaller than in Juba, and sometimes blends in more with the orange background, especially in males.
2 - brown margin is usually much narrower than Juba, and gradually transitions to orange, compared to the distinct and jagged boundary in Juba.
3 - light gold/yellowish spots are indistinct, compared to Common Branded Skipper.
4 - white spot not as indented as Nevada Skipper, and wing base-color is brighter orange, not as dusky as Nevada or Common Branded skippers.

Western Branded Skippers

Common Branded Skipper - Hesperia comma
In Washington, this species is only found at high elevations in the northern Cascades (such as around Harts Pass and Slate Peak) and at Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Mountains.
1 - this bar is usually smaller than in Juba, and usually does not touch the orange discal coloration.
2 - brown margin is usually wider than Western Branded, but compared to Juba, the transition between brown and orange is less distinct and not as jagged. Overall, Common Branded Skippers have less orange on the dorsal wing surface compared to the other species.
3 - light gold/yellowish spots are usually more distinct and with less orange background compared to the other three species.
4 - white spot not as indented as Nevada Skipper.

Common Branded Skippers

Nevada Skipper - Hesperia nevada
This species is less common than Juba and Western Branded skippers in Washington.  It is found in shrub-steppe habitat mostly around Kittitas and Yakima counties, and in parts of of Okanogan County.  It is generally duskier than Juba and Western Branded skippers.
1 - this bar is usually smaller than in Juba.
2 - width of the brown margin varies from narrow to wide, but it gradually transitions to orange, compared to the distinct and jagged boundary in Juba.
3 - light gold/yellowish spots are usually less distinct compared to Common Branded Skipper.
4 - white spot is greatly indented compared to the other three species, and wing base-color is usually more dusky than Juba and Western Branded skippers.
I only have the one specimen shown in the comparison photo at the top of this page. For more examples of this species, see the species photos on the Butterflies of America website.

Happy New Year!