White Checkered-Skipper
Burnsius albescens Plötz, 1884
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Paler than Pyrgus communis. Male often has complete black checks in wing fringes. Upperside of male is blue-gray; female is black. Both sexes have large white spots which form median bands across both wings. Male has a costal fold enclosing scent scales on the upperside of the forewing. Underside is dull white with dark gray bands. Positive identification can be made only by dissection and scrutiny of the male genitalia.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/2 inches (2.5 - 3.8 cm).
Life History: Similar to that of Common Checkered-skipper.
Flight: All year in South Texas, most of the year elsewhere.
Caterpillar Hosts: Not reliably reported. Probably several plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae) including globemallows (Sphaeralcea), velvet-leaf (Abutilon), and poppy mallow (Callirhoe).
Adult Food: Nectar from a variety of plants.
Habitat: Open, sunny places with low vegetation and some bare soil including prairies, fields, roadsides, yards, gardens, and low deserts.
Range: Low altitudes in southern California, southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, west and South Texas; Florida, and Mexico. A rare stray to southwest Utah, and central Texas.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes: Formerly in the genus Pyrgus.
Alternate Scientific Names:
Pyrgus albescens
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 560 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 14, 2025
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 15, 2025
Observation date: Sep 13, 2025
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 15, 2025
Observation date: Aug 31, 2025
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 02, 2025
Observation date: Aug 26, 2025
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 27, 2025
Observation date: Jul 24, 2025
Submitted by: Cdwrigley
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 03, 2025
Observation date: Jul 20, 2025
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 21, 2025
Observation date: May 19, 2025
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 20, 2025
Observation date: Jun 30, 2025
Submitted by: JamieLynn
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 04, 2025
Observation date: Mar 12, 2025
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 17, 2025
Observation date: Apr 01, 2025
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 17, 2025
Observation date: Nov 15, 2023
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Mar 03, 2025
Observation date: Oct 13, 2024
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Richland County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 14, 2024
Observation date: Apr 15, 2024
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 10, 2024
Observation date: Aug 01, 2024
Submitted by: Zencoyote
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 02, 2024
Observation date: Jun 02, 2020
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 01, 2024
Observation date: Jul 27, 2024
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Allendale County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 30, 2024
Observation date: Jun 22, 2024
Submitted by: kericson
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 23, 2024
Observation date: Jun 15, 2024
Submitted by: Carolyn Seaton
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 15, 2024
Observation date: Apr 18, 2024
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 10, 2024
Observation date: Apr 18, 2024
Submitted by: Martin Neil UK
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 26, 2024
Observation date: Apr 20, 2024
Submitted by: PONYRCR
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 26, 2024
Observation date: Apr 15, 2024
Submitted by: jthompson6112
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 24, 2024
Observation date: Mar 13, 2024
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 13, 2024
Observation date: Mar 03, 2024
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 04, 2024
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