Saltbush Sootywing

Hesperopsis alpheus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Hesperiidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Saltbush Sootywing
Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋）, CC BY

The saltbush sootywing is a spread-wing skipper belonging to the butterfly family Hesperiidae. It occurs in both Central America and North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

The species lives in Central America and North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its range includes Central America and North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 9 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Kansas.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Saltbush Sootywing photo 2
Photo: Roger Rittmaster, CC BY
Saltbush Sootywing photo 3
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Saltbush Sootywing photo 4
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Saltbush Sootywing photo 5
Photo: Jim Dreier, CC BY

Same family (Hesperiidae)

Fiery SkipperFiery SkipperHylephila phyleusDamages trees, gardens or cropsSilver-spotted SkipperSilver-spotted SkipperEpargyreus clarusDamages trees, gardens or cropsHuron SkipperHuron SkipperAtalopedes huronLarge SkipperLarge SkipperOchlodes sylvanusZabulon SkipperZabulon SkipperLon zabulonPeck's SkipperPeck's SkipperPolites peckius

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesperopsis_alpheus

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.