Chequered Skipper vs Neotropical Paper Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Chequered Skipper Neotropical Paper Wasp
Scientific Name Carterocephalus palaemon Polistes canadensis
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Hesperiidae Vespidae
Size 26-32 mm wingspan 25-30 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Omnivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, temperate Asia, North America Central America, northern South America, Caribbean
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Chequered Skipper

A small dark butterfly with bold orange-yellow chequered spots, once found in English woodlands but now confined to western Scotland in Britain. It was successfully reintroduced to England in 2018.

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Did You Know?

It became extinct in England in 1976 but was reintroduced using stock from Belgium four decades later.

Neotropical Paper Wasp

A large reddish-brown paper wasp with dark wings that builds open-comb nests under eaves and branches. It is one of the most common social wasps in the Neotropics.

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Did You Know?

This was the first wasp species shown to recognize individual nestmates by their unique facial markings.