---
title: "Essex Skipper"
description: "Thymelicus lineola — Insects & spiders. Thymelicus lineola, known in Europe as the Essex skipper and in North America as the European skipper, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/essex-skipper
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Essex Skipper

> Thymelicus lineola — Insects & spiders. Thymelicus lineola, known in Europe as the Essex skipper and in North America as the European skipper, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae.

- Scientific name: *Thymelicus lineola*
- Category: `insects` (Insects & spiders)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Fields & meadows)
- iNaturalist observations: 41172
- Wikidata: [Q778932](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q778932)
- iNaturalist taxon: [58484](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/58484)

## Names

- en: Essex Skipper
- de: Schwarzkolbiger Braundickkopffalter
- es: Dorada de Puntas Oscuras
- fr: Hespérie du dactyle
- nl: Zwartsprietdikkopje
- pl: Karłątek ryska

## Countries with the most observations

CA (13401), US (6312), RU (2263), FI (1494), DE (1482), GB (1441), FR (868), DK (586), UA (415), IT (411), CZ (371), PL (360)

## Summary

Thymelicus lineola, known in Europe as the Essex skipper and in North America as the European skipper, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae.
With a wingspan of 2.5 to 2.9 cm (0.98 to 1.14 in), it is very similar in appearance to the small skipper, Thymelicus sylvestris. They can be told apart by the forward-facing flattish part of the antenna tip: in the Essex Skipper this face is black, whereas in the Small Skipper it is orange or brown. In males, there is a difference in the scent mark. In Essex Skipper this is a fine, straight, short dark line on the forewing, parallel to the wing edge; in the Small…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_skipper

## Photo

![Essex Skipper](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/essex-skipper/medium.jpg)

Photo: Ellyne Geurts · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/126136045

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/essex-skipper?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).