''Hesperilla flavescens'', also known as the yellow sedge-skipper or yellowish skipper, is a species of

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 ...

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 found in the Australian states of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

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 . The larvae feed on '' Gahnia filum''. The butterfly is endangered in

, and volunteers have planted gahnia at

Aldinga Washpool __NOTOC__ Aldinga Beach is an outer southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It lies within the City of Onkaparinga and has the postcode 5173. At the , Aldinga Beach had a population of 10,557. It lies about a kilometre west of the smalle ...

to provide habitat for the species.

Subspecies

*''Hesperilla flavescens flavescens'' Altona skipper butterfly (near Altona and Ararat, in Victoria) *''Hesperilla flavescens flavia'' (near

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

in South Australia)

Subspecies

References

Further reading