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Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
8-spot Short-tailed
Skipper
Polythrix
octomaculata
SEPP, 1844
Family - HESPERIIDAE
subfamily -
PYRGINAE
Tribe - EUDAMINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Polythrix
octomaculata, male, Rio Madre de Dios, Peru
Introduction
There are several different genera of tailed skippers occurring in the
neotropical region.
They can be distinguished from each other by the wing
venation and by the configuration of the hyaline spots on the forewings.
Additionally, in Urbanus
the outer margin of the forewing is convex, but in
Aguna,
Polythrix
and Typhedanus it is concave to a greater or lesser
degree.
The
genus Polythrix
includes 14 known species, most of which are characterised by having a pattern
of hyaline ( transparent ) windows in the forewing, which follow the same
general layout as in
octomaculata. The
wing fringes of all Polythrix
species are white, whereas in the other genera they are either chequered or pale
brown.
The
tails are less reliable indicators, but in
Polythrix
they tend to be thinner and shorter than in the other tailed skippers.
The
distribution of Polythrix
is centred on the Amazon basin, but some species, including octomaculata,
have a very wide distribution covering much of the neotropical region from
Mexico to northern Argentina.
Habitats
The butterfly occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas within it's range, at
altitudes between sea level and about 800m. It is mainly associated with
rainforest areas, but also occurs in transitional semi-deciduous areas.
Lifecycle
The caterpillar feeds on various tree and shrub Leguminosae
including
Muellera,
Senna,
Toluifera
and
Pterocarpus.
It is whitish, flecked with grey, and has a yellow head with fine pink markings.
Adult behaviour
The males spend much of their time hiding under leaves, with wings
spread, but will sometimes join aggregations of other Pyrgine
skippers at damp sand or earth, at which time they always rest
with wings outspread.
The butterflies fly from early
morning until dusk, and may also fly regularly at night, as I have
found them attracted to tungsten and fluorescent lighting in hours
of darkness.
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