Megathymus is a genus of butterflies in the skipper family, Hesperiidae.
Species
The following species and subspecies are recognized: Megathymus streckeri (Skinner, 1895) – Strecker's giant-skipper Megathymus streckeri streckeri (Skinner, 1895) – Northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, southwestern Colorado, southeastern Utah Megathymus streckeri Navajo County, Arizona segregate – Southern Navajo Co., Arizona; south end White Mountains, Arizona Megathymus streckeri leussleri W. Holland, 1931 – Texas panhandle & eastern New Mexico to eastern Montana and western North Dakota (possibly southeastern Saskatchewan) Megathymus streckeri texana W. Barnes & McDunnough, 1912 – South-central Texas
Megathymus cofaqui (Strecker, 1876) – Cofaqui giant-skipper Megathymus cofaqui cofaqui (Strecker, 1876) [= harrisi] – Georgia to North Carolina Megathymus cofaqui slotteni Gatrelle, 1999 – Florida
Megathymus yuccae (Boisduval & Le Conte, 1837) – Yucca giant-skipper Megathymus yuccae yuccae (Boisduval & Le Conte, 1837) [= buchholzi] – Southeastern USA, east of the Mississippi River Megathymus yuccae reinthali H. Freeman, 1963 [= kendalli] – Central to northeastern Texas, central & eastern Oklahoma, southwestern Arkansas, northern & central Louisiana Megathymus yuccae wilsonorum D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1958 – Tamaulipas & far southern Texas (Lower Rio Grande Valley) Megathymus yuccae louiseae H. Freeman, 1963 – South-central Texas (Val Verde & Kinney counties) to northeastern Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León) Megathymus yuccae coloradensis C. Riley, 1877 – Southeastern Wyoming, western Nebraska, western Kansas, eastern Colorado, eastern New Mexico, western Oklahoma, Texas panhandle Megathymus yuccae reubeni D. Stallings, J. Turner & V. Stallings, 1963 – Hueco Mountains (Hudspeth Co., Texas) to northern Chihuahua Megathymus yuccae navajo Skinner, 1911 [= arizonae] – Western Colorado, southern Utah, western New Mexico, Arizona, northern Sonora Megathymus yuccae martini D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1956 – Mojave Desert (southern California, western Nevada, far northwestern Arizona) Megathymus yuccae harbisoni J. Emmel & T. Emmel, 1998 – Beaumont (Riverside Co., California) south to Baja California Norte
Megathymus beulahae D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1958 – Broad-banded giant-skipper Megathymus beulahae gayleae D. Stallings, J. Turner & V. Stallings, 1963 – Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí Megathymus beulahae beulahae D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1958 – Hidalgo
Megathymus ursus Poling, 1902 – Ursine giant-skipper Megathymus ursus ursus Poling, 1902 – Southern Arizona (Pinal, Pima, Santa Cruz, Cochise counties), southwestern New Mexico (Hidalgo Co.), Sonora Megathymus ursus deserti R. Wielgus, J. Wielgus & D. Wielgus, 1972 – Eastern Maricopa County, Arizona
Megathymus violae D. Stallings & J. Turner, 1956 – Ursine giant-skipper – Central & southern New Mexico (east of Rio Grande), western Texas, 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.
External links
Megathymus yuccae, yucca giant-skipper on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site Natural History Museum Lepidoptera genus database