Hesperilla mastersi

Hesperilla mastersi Waterhouse, 1900
(one synonym: Hesperilla marakupa)
Masters' Skipper
TRAPEZITINAE, HESPERIIDAE

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

(updated 28 July 2001)

(Specimen: courtesy of The Australian Museum)

This is a yellow Caterpillar with an orange thorax and tail, a dark line along the back, white lines along the sides, and a brown and black head. It feeds on Sword Grass species ( CYPERACEAE ) :

Dark Fruited Saw Grass ( Gahnia melanocarpa ), and

Thatch Saw Sedge ( Gahnia radula ).

The Caterpillar constructs a shelter joining foodplant leaves with silk, where it rest by day, emerging to feed at night. It pupates within its shelter.

The adult butterfly has brown wings, with off-white spots on the forewings, and an orange patch on each hind wing. The adults have a wingspan of about 4 cms. The males have a black line acros most of each forewing.

underside
(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

The undersides of the wings are brown marbled with white markings.

The species is found in the southern Queensland, along the coastal strip of New South Wales and Victoria. It did occur in north-eastern Tasmania until the small area where its foodplant was growing was cleared to provide cattle pasture. It is probably now extinct in Tasmania.