Signeta flammeata

Signeta flammeata (Butler, 1882)
Bright Shield Skipper
TRAPEZITINAE , HESPERIIDAE

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

(updated 25 July 2004)

Signeta flammeata
(Photo: courtesy of R.Field, Museum Victoria)

The Caterpillar of this species is brown with a darker brown line along the back. The head is black with brown markings and is indented. The Caterpillar grows to a length of about 1.5 cms. It feeds on grasses such as

Brown Top Bent ( Agrostis capillaris ),

Slender Tussock Grass ( Poa tenera ), and

Rice Grass ( Tetrarrhena ),

all of POACEAE.

The Caterpillar resides by day in a shelter of grass stems held together loosely with silk, feeding nocturnally. It pupates in its shelter.

female
(Photo: courtesy of Museum Victoria)

The upper surface of the adult butterfly is dark brown, with white patches on the fore wings. The male also has a large black patch on each fore wing, and the female has a pale yellow patch on each hind wing. Underneath, the wings are a paler brown, the fore wings having pale yellow patches, and the hind wings having a subterminal arc of dark dots. The wing span is about 3 cms.

male
Museum Victoria)

Males of this species, like those of several other species of butterflies, seem particularly fond of aggregating at hill tops.

The eggs are laid singly on gum leaves or branches or other debris on the ground near tussocks of a foodplant.

The species may be found particularly in the hill country down the east coast of Australia including: