Largest skipper

Although categorized as butterflies, skippers are housed in their own superfamily, separate from that of the so-called true butterflies, because they possess certain features more reminiscent of moths than true butterflies. More than 4,000 skipper species are recognized, and are distributed worldwide. The largest species of skipper is the bear giant-skipper Megathymus ursus, which has a wingspan of 6.3–7.6 cm. It is native to the southern states of the USA, including Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, and was formally described by science in 1902. When at rest, skippers (which are named after their skipping, darting flight movements) tend to rest with their wings open (rather than folded vertically like true butterflies); they have stockier bodies and larger compound eyes than true butterflies; and their wing muscles are stronger. All of these features are more similar to moths.