''Mesodina halyzia'', the eastern iris-skipper or halyzia skipper, 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 ...

of 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 the Australian states of

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 ...

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. The

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 ...

is about 30 mm. The larvae feed on ''

Patersonia fragilis ''Patersonia fragilis'', commonly known as swamp iris or short purple-flag, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae family and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a tufted perennial herb with linear, cylindrical leaves and p ...

'', ''

Patersonia glabrata ''Patersonia glabrata'', commonly known as leafy purple-flag, or bugulbi in the Cadigal language, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae family and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a perennial herb or subshrub with linear ...

'', '' Patersonia occidentalis'' and ''

Patersonia sericea ''Patersonia sericea'', commonly known as purple flag or silky purple-flag is a species of plant in the iris family Iridaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a densely-tufted perennial herb with linear, sword-shaped leaves, broadly eg ...

''.

External links

Australian InsectsAustralian Faunal Directory
Trapezitinae Butterflies described in 1868 Butterflies of Australia Taxa named by William Chapman Hewitson {{Hesperiidae-stub