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Skipper - Trapezites symmomus
Family
HESPERIIDAE
This page contains information and pictures about Symmomus
Skipper Butterflies in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia. The butterfly also known as Symmomus Rush-skipper and Splendid Ochre.
- Body length 25mm
We usually found this large skipper butterfly resting on leaf. It only
flied away when we came
very close, within a few centimeters away. They fly rapidly and usually
close to the ground. This skipper butterfly is common in Brisbane bushes.
Besides those large Flat Skippers, this is the largest
skipper butterfly that we ever seen. The butterfly
is orange brown in colour with yellow spots on top side of wings. There are
the white dots on the bottom side of wings. Male and female look almost the
same except female is a bit larger. Notice in the above 3rd picture their is a
leafhopper
sit next to the butterfly.
When rest, its wings fold on its back as most
other butterflies, although we had seen this butterfly rest with wings fully
open.
The Caterpillar Foot Plant
Spiny-headed Mat-rush
Lomandra
longifolia, family Xanthorrhoeaceae
Their caterpillars are smooth and pale brown in colour, grow up to 40mm.
They feed on Spiny-headed Mat-rush. Caterpillars
construct shelters at the food plant by joining several leaves together
to form a tight, silk lined structure.
Reference and Link:
1. Trapezites
symmomus - Australian Caterpillars, Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley,
2005.
2. Australian Tropical Butterflies - By Peter Valentine, Clifford Frith (photos),
Dawn Frith (photos),
1991, pp36.
3. Create
More Butterflies - by Frank Jordan and Helen Schwencke,
Earthling Enterprises, 2005, pp42.
4. Wild
Plants of Greater Brisbane - Queensland Museum, 2003, pp103.
5. Butterflies of Australia and New Guinea - Barrett, Charles and A. N. Burns, Melbourne, N. H. Seward, 1951,
pp175.
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