Butterflies of
Australia
Splendid Ochre
Trapezites
symmomus
HÜBNER, 1823
Family -
HESPERIIDAE
subfamily -
TRAPEZITINAE
Tribe -
Trapezites symmomus
Fitzroy Falls, Wollongong NSW, Australia
© David Fischer
Introduction
The subfamily Trapezitinae
comprises of about 60-70 smallish, robust, heavy-bodied skippers, all of which are confined to
the Australian region ( including New Guinea ). There are 18 genera, of which
Trapezites is the largest, with between
15-18 species depending on taxonomic interpretation.
Unlike
Hesperiinae, males of Trapezitinae do not possess an androconial
sex-brand.
Habitats
This species is found in rough scrubby grassland in the
temperate hills of eastern Australia, from Queensland to Victoria.
Lifecycle
The dome-shaped eggs are cream in colour, and faintly ribbed.
The larvae live within tubular shelters constructed from the leaves of the foodplant -
Spike Rush Lomandra longifolia ( Laxmanniaceae ), a
genus of monocotyledons which is endemic to Australia. They feed nocturnally.
Adult behaviour
In hot sunny conditions the butterflies usually hold their
wings erect, or slightly apart, when at rest.
When
conditions are cooler they sometimes adopt the traditional Hesperiine posture,
with forewings raised at 45°, and hindwings held outspread. It is more common
however for both the fore and hindwings to be held flat, with the hindwings
obscured, as shown in the photo at the top of this page.
Males are highly territorial, defending their
patches of ground vigorously. If one male intrudes into the territory of
another, the pair spiral skywards to a height of several metres, revolving
around each other at high speed, until the intruding male relinquishes claim to
the territory and flies away. The winning male then returns to his original
perching place.
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