"The male P. communis is dark gray above, with long blue-gray, hairlike scales on the body and wing bases. Numerous white spots checker the wings above, while the fringes of the wings are also checkered."

This is a view of the ventral side of the Common Checkered Skipper.

The Tvetens say (228) that "Without capturing the butterflies or examining them closely, it is difficult to distinguish between the two [Tropical Checkered Skipper & Common Checkered Skipper]."

Click here to compare the Tropical and the Common Checkered Skipper.

Photo taken with a Nikon D80, using a Nikon 200mm, f/4 micro, manual focus lens.

July 7, 2007.