''Trapezites phigalioides'', commonly known as the montane ochre or phigalioides skipper, is a species of

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...

in the family

Hesperiidae Skippers are a family of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) named the Hesperiidae. Being diurnal, they are generally called butterflies. They were previously placed in a separate superfamily, Hesperioidea; however, the most recent taxonomy ...

. It is endemic to Australia, where it occurs in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and Victoria. It occurs primarily in open eucalypt forests, usually above altitude, extending up to altitude in subalpine woodland habitat in parts of New South Wales. The range of this species largely overlaps with the closely related heath ocre (''Trapezites phigalia'').

Description

''Trapezites phigalioides'' adults are brown above and grey below with yellow or orange markings on the wings and a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...

of approximately . From above, the forewings each exhibit three large yellow spots, a median yellow spot near the dorsum, a yellow dorsum streak, and a subapical band consisting of three pale yellow spots, while the hindwings each exhibit a single large band near the center of the hindwing. From below, the forewings exhibit markings similar to those above, while the hingwings exhibit roughly 12 small brown circular markings. Adult males and females appear similar. Eggs are dome shaped, white to cream in colour, measuring approximately in diameter with up to 20 longitudinal ribs.

Larvae A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. T ...

are pinkish-brown or pinkish-grey with a dark brown head, measuring up to in length depending on

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow o ...

. Pupae are brown with dark brown spots, covered with a waxy grey powder, measuring approximately in length.

Behaviour and life cycle

Adults fly fast and close to the ground, readily feeding at flowers. Adult males engage in hilltopping and establish territories within a meter of the ground. Adult females lay their eggs singly on the undersides of the leaves of the species' host plant, the wattle mat-rush (''Lomandra filiformis''). Once hatched, the larvae construct a vertical shelter from silk and debris at the base of the host plant, resting in their shelter during the day and emerging to feed at night.

Pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

tion occurs inside the larval shelter, with the head of the larva oriented upwards. There is a single generation each year, with adults emerging primarily in November and December.

References

Butterflies of Australia Hesperiidae Trapezitinae Butterflies described in 1903 Taxa named by Gustavus Athol Waterhouse {{Hesperiidae-stub