''Caltoris canaraica'', the Kanara swift,
[ is a ]butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...
belonging to 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 ...
.[Markku Savela's website on Lepidopter]
Page on genus ''Caltoris''.
/ref>
Distribution
This skipper is found in Southern India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and T ...
(Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
, Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
Tamilnadu and south-western Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
).[
]
Description
Habitat: Canara (Ward)
Life cycle
Host plants
The larva (caterpillar) has been recorded on ''Bambusa bambos
''Bambusa bambos'', the giant thorny bamboo, Indian thorny bamboo, spiny bamboo, or thorny bamboo, is a species of clumping bamboo native to southern Asia (India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indochina). It is also naturalized in Seychelles, Centra ...
'', '' Bambusa vulgaris'' and ''Pseudoxytenanthera monadelpha
''Pseudoxytenanthera monadelpha'' is a species of bamboo in the grass family. It is native to India, Sri Lanka, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" ...
''.
References
Caltoris
Butterflies of Asia
Butterflies described in 1883
Taxa named by Frederic Moore
{{hesperiinae-stub