Croitana arenaria

Croitana arenaria Edwards, 1979
Inland Grass Skipper
TRAPEZITINAE, HESPERIIDAE

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

(updated 12 August 2001)

Male
(Photo: courtesy of R. Grund)

This Caterpillar is brown with a dark dorsal line, and paler lines along the sides. It feeds on various species of Grass :

Flat Awned Speargrass ( Austrostipa platychaeta ),

Feather Speargrass ( Austrostipa elegantissima ), and

Curly Windmill Grass ( Enteropogon acicularis ),

all of POACEAE. It makes a shelter from a rolled leaf of the foodplant, with the opening at the bottom,in which it rests head down. It pupates in the shelter, also head down.

The adult butterfly is dark brown with a series of yellow spots on each forewing, and a yellow patch on each hindwing. Underneath, the pattern is similar but paler. All the wings are edged with a border of white spots. The wingspan is about 2 cms.

The species is found in South Australia, around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.