Pelopidas lyelli

Pelopidas lyelli (Rothschild, 1915)
(one synonym: Parnara lyelli)
Lyell's Swift
HESPERIINAE, HESPERIIDAE

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

(updated 3 September 2001)

(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Sydney)

This Caterpillar is yellowish green with green dots and a darker green dorsal stripe. The last abdominal segment is larger, and is sparsely hairy. The Caterpillar feeds on the leaves of various species of POACEAE, for example:

Sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ), and

Dallisgrass ( Paspalum dilatatum ).

The Caterpillar rolls a foodplant leaf to make a shelter in which it hides by day, only emerging at night to feed.

It pupates inside its shelter.

(Specimen: courtesy of The Australian Museum)

The adult butterfly is dark brown with a series of white spots on each fore wing. The males have a grey line across part of the upper surface of each forewing. The wing span is about 3 cms.

The species is found in New Guinea, and in Queensland in Australia.