skipper

skipper¹

/skip"euhr/, n.

1. the master or captain of a vessel, esp. of a small trading or fishing vessel.

2. a captain or leader, as of a team.

v.t.

3. to act as skipper of.

[1350-1400; ME < MD schipper, equiv. to schip SHIP + -er -ER¹]

skipper²

/skip"euhr/, n.

1. a person or thing that skips.

2. any of various insects that hop or fly with jerky motions.

3. any of numerous quick-flying, lepidopterous insects of the family Hesperiidae, closely related to the true butterflies.

4. saury (def. 1).

[1200-50; ME: locust. See SKIP¹, -ER¹]

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Any of some 3,000 lepidopteran species (family Hesperiidae) named for their fast (up to 20 mph, or 30 kph), darting flight.

The head and stout body of the adult skipper resemble a moth's, but most skippers hold the first pair of wings vertically at rest, as butterflies do. Most skippers are diurnal and lack the wing-coupling structures typical of moths. Larvae feed mostly on legumes and grasses, usually living inside folded or rolled leaves that may be woven together. They pupate in a thin cocoon of silk or silk and leaves.

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▪ insect

also called  cheese skipper 

      any member of a family of insects in the fly order, Diptera, in which the larvae are known for jumping or skipping when alarmed. The family name means “fat-loving,” and many species breed in fatty materials such as cheese and meat, where they can become serious pests. They also are found in decaying animal material; skipper species have been known to live in preserved human cadavers used in medical schools.

      Most skipper flies are tiny (about 5 mm [0.2 inch] long), shiny black in colour, and have long, fleshy mouthparts.

▪ lepidopteran

 any of the approximately 3,500 species of insects (order Lepidoptera) that occur worldwide and are named for their fast, darting flight. Skippers are considered an intermediate form between butterflies (butterfly) and moths (moth). The head and small, stout body of the adult tend to resemble those of a moth. However, when at rest, most skippers hold the first pair of wings vertically, as butterflies do. In addition, skippers usually lack the wing-coupling structures (frenula) typical of most moths. Their antennae are clubbed like those of the butterfly, but in most, the club ends in a slender hooked tip.

      Skippers are generally small, but their powerful wing muscles enable them to attain speeds up to 30 km (20 miles) per hour. Larvae feed on plants such as legumes and grasses and usually live inside folded or rolled leaves often woven together. Pupation occurs in thin cocoons of silk or silk and leaves.

      Many authorities do not classify certain skippers in the family Hesperiidae but separate them into the regent skipper family (Euschemonidae), which contains one Australian species, and the New World giant skipper family (Megathymidae), whose adults have a wingspan of about 9 cm (3.5 inches). The larvae, which bore in agaves and yuccas, are considered a delicacy in Mexico, where they are fried in deep fat, canned, and sold as gusanos de maguey.

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