''Telicota eurotas'', the sedge darter, 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
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
(the north-eastern coast of
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_ ...
), the
Aru Islands,
Irian Jaya,
Maluku and
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 ...
.
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 various sedges, including ''
Carex polyantha'', ''
Cladium procerum'', ''
Scleria ciliaris'', ''
Scleria polycarpa'' and ''
Scleria sumatrensis''. It lives in a shelter made from leaves of the hostplant joined with silk.
Subspecies
*''Telicota eurotas eurotas'' (Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea)
*''Telicota eurotas laconia''
Waterhouse, 1937 (north-eastern coast of Queensland)
External links
Australian InsectsAustralian Faunal Directory
Taractrocerini
Butterflies described in 1860
{{Hesperiinae-stub