The Yellow Palm Dart (Cephrenes trichopepla), family Hesperiidae, belonging to the genus Cephrenes, group of skipper butterflies.
The Yellow Palm Dart has been sighted along Australia’s northern coastal region from Western Australia, Northern Territory, northern gulf down Queensland coast, through northern east coast of New South Wales. Scattered sightings have been recorded in Victoria, South Australia and Alice Springs in Central Australia. They are also found in Papua and Papua New Guinea, with more recent sightings from Singapore to Sri Lanka.
The larvae of the butterfly feed on a range of palm species. During the day the larva is found residing in a tubular shelter made from joining palm fronds together with silk. Pupation occurs within this shelter.
The butterfly itself has been documented feeding on the nectar of flowers including the lotus found in waterways and fish ponds.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Lepidoptera
- Family: Hesperiidae
- Genus: Cephrenes
- Species: C. trichopepla
- Binomial name: Cephrenes trichopepla
Footnote & References
- Cephrenes trichopepla, Yellow Palm-Dart, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:b5d964dd-9ccb-4410-b118-b97dc4ebd538
- Yellow Palm Dart (Cephrenes trichopepla), iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/465882-Cephrenes-trichopepla (many thanks to members of this group for IDing this species)
- Cephrenes trichopepla, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephrenes_trichopepla (last visited Mar. 24, 2022)
ButterfliesButterflies Index Acraea andromacha Caper White Butterfly Chequered Swallowtail Butterfly Common Eggfly Butterfly Meadow Argus Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly Two-spotted Line Blue (Nacaduba biocellata) Yellow Palm Dart
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