Bibasis jaina

Orange-striped Awl
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Bibasis
Species: B. jaina
Binomial name
Bibasis jaina
(Moore, 1865)[1]
Synonyms

Ismene jaina Moore, 1865[1]
Burara jaina

The Orange-striped Awl, or Bibasis jaina,[2] is a species of hesperid butterfly found in Asia. The butterfly has been reassigned to genus Burara, and is now Burara jaina.[3] The butterfly is occasionally referred to as the Orange Awlet sometimes, though the latter name is also used for Bibasis harisa.[4]

Range

The Orange-striped Awl is found in India, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.[2]

In India, the skipper is found in the Western Ghats and the Himalayas from Garhwal (Mussoorie) to Sikkim and Assam eastwards to Myanmar.[2][5]

The type locality is Darjeeling.[2]

Status

Fairly common in Kodagu. Rare elsewhere in India.[5]

Description

For a key to the terms used see the glossary of Lepidopteran terms.
From above: male, female and male underside

Both sexes:The butterfly, which has a wingspan of 60 to 70mm, is a dark vinaceous brown above. The forewing has an orange costal streak on the forewing, from the base above the cell to about halfway along the wing while the hindwing has an orange fringe. The skipper is paler below and has orange bands along the veins of the hindwing.[5]

Male:The male may have an indistinct dark brand placed centrally on the forewing above, between mid 1b to vein 3.[5]

Watson (1891) gives a detailed description, shown below:[6]

Male. Upperside forewing with an orange red subcostal basal streak and an indistinct blackish patch beneath the cell ; front of thorax, anal tuft, and cilia of hindwing bright orange red ; thorax and base of abdomen clothed with bluish grey hairs. Underside paler brown ; both wings with a small black orange red bordered basal spot : forewing with a well-defined purplish white spot within the cell ; and a curved discal series of narrow less defined spots ; posterior margin broadly yellow : hindwing with the veins towards the abdominal margin and cilia orange red ; a curved ill-defined series of narrow purplish white discal streaks. Third joint of palpi brown ; thorax beneath greyish ; middle of abdomen beneath and sides of the bands and legs orange red. Female similar, but with darker bluish grey hairs without the orange red subcostal streak and black discal patch.

Habits

The Orange-striped Awl is an insect of the low foothills having dense jungles and heavy rainfalls. It is rarely seen out of such terrain. Crepescular in nature, the skipper flies early in the mornings or late in the evenings. It has a strong, fast and straight flight. It is best seen in the ravines and nullahs. It hovers at leaves and visits Lantana and other attractive flowers.[3][5]

Host-plants

The larva has been recorded on Hiptage benghalensis.[2]

Cited references

  1. 1 2 Card for Bibasis jaina in LepIndex. Accessed 12 October 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Marrku Savela's Website on Lepidoptera. Page on genus Bibasis.
  3. 1 2 Vane-Wright and de Jong (2003) (see TOL web pages on genus Bibasis genus Burara in the Tree of Life Web Project) state that Bibasis contains just three diurnal species, the crepuscular remainder having been removed to Burara. The species now shifted to Burara are morphologically and behaviorally distinct from Bibasis, within which many authors have formerly included them.
  4. ↑ The butterfly is referred to as the 'Orange Awlet' in Evans and Wynter-Blyth, but since B. harisa is also called the 'Orange Awlet', the alternate name, 'Orange-striped Awlet' is preferred for this species.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, pp 468-469.
  6. ↑ Watson, E. Y. (1891) Hesperiidae indicae. Vest and Co. Madras.

See also

References

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