''Sabera caesina'', the white-clubbed swift or black and white 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 ...

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 found in Australia in

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_ ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, and in Indonesia in the Aru Islands and Papua. 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 of subspecies ''S. c. albifascia'' feed on ''

Archontophoenix alexandrae ''Archontophoenix alexandrae'', commonly known as Alexandra palm, king palm, Northern Bangalow palm, or feather palm, is a palm endemic to Queensland, Australia. It was named in honour of Princess Alexandra of Denmark, but is often erroneous ...

'', ''

Normanbya normanbyi ''Normanbya'' is a monotypic genus of palms containing the single species ''Normanbya normanbyi'', which is known by the common name black palm It is endemic to Queensland, Australia and is threatened by habitat destruction. Description ''Nor ...

'' and ''

Calamus caryotoides ''Calamus caryotoides'' (also ''Palmijuncus caryotoides''), more commonly known as fishtail lawyer cane is a North-East Queensland tropical forest climbing palm with very thin () flexible trunks; no crownshaft; small spikes; dark green, glossy, ...

''. During the day, it lives in a shelter made from a cut and folded leaf of the host plant. ''S. c. barina'' probably feeds on '' Licula'' or '' Calamus'' species.

Subspecies

*''Sabera caesina caesina'' *''Sabera caesina albifascia'' (Miskin, 1889) - black and white swift (northern Gulf and north-eastern coast of Queensland) *''Sabera caesina barina'' Fruhstorfer, 1910 (Papua New Guinea)

External links

The Life History of ''Sabera fuliginosa fuliginosa'' (Miskin) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) and additional hostplants for the other members of the genus in Northern QueenslandAustralian Faunal Directory
Taractrocerini Butterflies described in 1886 {{Hesperiinae-stub