Agathymus is a genus of butterflies in the skipper family, Hesperiidae. They occur in the North American deserts. The genus was described by Hugh Avery Freeman in 1959. The larvae bore into the stems of agave plants.

These butterflies have been treated as members of the disputed skipper subfamily Megathyminae, but are also considered sufficiently distinct to be in their own family, Megathymidae, along with the genera Megathymus and Stallingsia.

Species

The following species and subspecies are recognized:

Agathymus indecisa (A. Butler & H. Druce, 1872) – Guatemalan giant-skipper – Chiapas to Costa Rica Agathymus escalantei D. Stallings, J. Turner & V. Stallings, 1966 – Escalante's giant-skipper – Guerrero Agathymus rethon (Dyar, 1913) – Black giant-skipper – Mexico (COL, GRO, JAL, MICH, MOR, NAY, OAX, PUE, VER), El Salvador Agathymus tehuacanus J. García & A. Turrent, 2020 Agathymus gentryi Roever, 1998 – Gentry's giant-skipper – SW Arizona, E San Bernardino Co., California Agathymus baueri (D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1954) – Bauer's giant-skipper Agathymus baueri freemani D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1960 – W-C Arizona Agathymus baueri baueri (D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1954) – C Arizona Agathymus aryxna (Dyar, 1905) – Arizona giant-skipper – SE Arizona, SW New Mexico, NE Sonora Agathymus evansi (H. Freeman, 1950) – Huachuca giant-skipper – Huachuca Mountains, Arizona Agathymus belli (H. Freeman, 1955) – Bell's giant-skipper – Chihuahua, Durango Agathymus ricei D. Stallings, J. Turner & V. Stallings, 1966 – Rice's giant-skipper – Puebla Agathymus polingi (Skinner, 1905) – Poling's giant-skipper – S Arizona, SW New Mexico, NE Sonora Agathymus neumoegeni (W. H. Edwards, 1882) – Neumoegen's giant-skipper Agathymus neumoegeni neumoegeni (W. H. Edwards, 1882) – Arizona to western New Mexico Agathymus neumoegeni carlsbadensis (D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1957) – Guadalupe Mountains, NM & TX Agathymus neumoegeni judithae (D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1957) – Hudspeth Co., Texas Agathymus neumoegeni diabloensis H. Freeman, 1962 – Hudspeth Co., Texas Agathymus neumoegeni florenceae (D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1957) – Davis Mountains, Texas Agathymus neumoegeni mcalpinei (H. Freeman, 1955) – Brewster Co., Texas Agathymus chisosensis (H. Freeman, 1952) – Chisos Mountains, Texas Agathymus juliae (D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1958) – Julia's giant-skipper – Durango Agathymus hoffmanni (H. Freeman, 1952) – Hoffmann's giant-skipper – Central Mexico Agathymus alliae (D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1957) – Mojave giant-skipper Agathymus alliae alliae (D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1957) – Arizona Agathymus alliae paiute Roever, 1998 – SE California, Nevada, Utah, NW Arizona Agathymus fieldi H. Freeman, 1960 – Field's giant-skipper – Western Mexico Agathymus stephensi (Skinner, 1912) – California giant-skipper – Southern California, Baja California Agathymus comstocki (Harbison, 1957) – Comstock's giant-skipper – Baja California Agathymus dawsoni Harbison, 1963 – Dawson's giant-skipper – Baja California Agathymus mariae (W. Barnes & Benjamin, 1924) – Mary's giant-skipper Agathymus mariae mariae (W. Barnes & Benjamin, 1924) – New Mexico and Texas Agathymus mariae chinatiensis H. Freeman, 1964 – Presidio Co., Texas Agathymus mariae lajitaensis H. Freeman, 1964 – Presidio Co., Texas Agathymus mariae rindgei H. Freeman, 1964 – Val Verde & Kinney Cos., Texas Agathymus gilberti H. Freeman, 1964 – Gilbert's giant-skipper – Texas Agathymus micheneri D. Stallings, J. Turner & V. Stallings, 1961 – Michener's giant-skipper – Coahuila Agathymus galeana Grishin, 2023 – Nuevo León Agathymus remingtoni (D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1958) – Remington's giant-skipper – Eastern Mexico Agathymus estelleae (D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1958) – Estelle's giant-skipper Agathymus estelleae valverdiensis H. Freeman, 1966 – South-central Texas Agathymus estelleae estelleae (D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1958) – Coahuila & Nuevo León

References

Warren, A. D.; Davis, K. J.; Stangeland, E. M.; Pelham, J. P.; Willmott, K. R.; Grishin, N. V. (2024). Illustrated lists of American butterflies. Available from: https://www.butterfliesofamerica.com (accessed 22 February 2026).

Freeman, H. A. (1969). Systematic review of the Megathymidae. Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 23 (Suppl. 1): 1–59. Warren, A. D.; Ogawa, J. R.; Brower, A. V. Z. (2008). Phylogenetic relationships of subfamilies and circumscription of tribes in the family Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea). Cladistics 24 (5): 642–676. doi:10.1111/j.1096-0031.2008.00218.x. , 1959, Lepid. News 12 (3/4): 82 , 1960: Notes on Agathymus in Texas, and the description of a new species from Mexico (Megathymidae). Journal Lepidop. Soc. 14 (1): 58–62. Full article: , 2004, Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera; Checklist: Part 4A; Hesperioidea-Papilionoidea.

External links