Skipper Antennae

[Johnny Redgate]

Several recent threads have been about distinguishing small/essex skipper by antenna tip colour. This has reminded me of something that I was shown many years ago as I was starting my PhD on the chequered skipper. Males and females in this species have different coloured antenna clubs, the males being totally orange when viewed from the front whilst the females are black at the stalk end showing as a "<" shape into the orange (not very well described I know). It is of course relatively easy to tell males from females by abdomen shape (wing colour and pattern being more or less identical) and behaviour (males strongly territorial) but the antennae are consistently different and surprisingly easy to see up close.

Do the antennae differ between the sexes in other skipper species? I guess not in small and essex. But what about Silver-spotted, Large and Lulworth, or even Dingy and Grizzled?

[GuyF]

I'm not sure how consistent it is but I think that there's something similar in the Large Skipper - males seem to have extensive orange on the underside of the antennae tips whereas this area is either grey or dull black in females. Looking at some photos online Silver-spotted Skipper may well be the same. I've never paid much attention to any differences in the Small Skipper but perhaps they have something similar too, as the tip colour ranges from dull brown (making them tricky to separate from Essex!) to bright orange, maybe the duller antennae are more common in females.
It looks like it would be an interesting study subject (not sure whether it's been done before!), perhaps the brighter antennae in the males are used for signalling to rivals, or used during courtship. Interesting question anyway!
Guy