Ocybadistes walkeri

Ocybadistes walkeri Heron, 1894
Yellow Banded Dart
HESPERIINAE , HESPERIIDAE

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

(updated 13 February 2009)

Ocybadistes walkeri

The eggs of this species are white with red markings. They are laid singly, and attached to the upper surface of a blade of grass by the female butterfly.

(Photo: courtesy of Merlin Crossley)

The Caterpillar has a dark brown head marked with a white wavy band on each side. The body is green. It feeds at night on common grasses ( POACEAE ), including :

Cogon Grass ( Imperata cylindrica ),

Couch ( Cynodon dactylon ),

Guinea Grass ( Panicum maximum ),

Kikuyu ( Pennisetum clandestinum ),

False Brome ( Brachypodium distachyon ),

Panic Veldt Grass ( Ehrharta erecta ),

Grazing Brome Grass ( Bromus stamineus ),

Seashore Paspalum ( Paspalum vaginatum ), and

Spartochloa scirpoidea

Beach Grass ( Thuarea involuta ),

and also :

Flax Lily ( Dianella ) in PHORMIACEAE.

It usually rests by day in a shelter formed from rolled blades of grass, and grows to a length of about 2 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of Ken Harris, Morwell Park, Victoria)

The adults have dark brown wings with orange markings above. The undersurfaces of the wings have similar markings, but on a greenish yellow background, except for a dark patch along the inner margin of each fore wing. The dark gey patch on each forewing of the males, and the more convex termen of the female fore wing, are the best means of distinguishing the sexes.

The species is easily confused with the Common Dart. The greenish ground colour beneath the wings of the Yellow Banded Dart distinguishes them.

Mating pair: female on the right, male on the left.
(Photo: courtesy of Merlin Crossley)

The species occurs as many races through Indonesia and New Guinea, as well as :

olivia in the north of Western Australia and the Northern Territory,

sothis in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania, and

hypochlora in South Australia.