Spialia colotes

Spialia colotes, the Bushveld sandman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. The species was first described by Herbert Druce in 1875. It is found in Angola, Botswana and from South Africa to Ethiopia and south-western Arabia.

Bushveld sandman
Figure 11
Scientific classification
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S. colotes
Binomial name
Spialia colotes
(H. Druce, 1875)[1]
Synonyms
  • Pyrgus colotes H. Druce, 1875
  • Pyrgus transvaaliae Trimen, 1889
  • Pyrgus nora Plötz, 1884

These skippers are dark brown with white spots on both sides of the wings.[2]

The wingspan is from 21–28 mm.[2]

The flight period is from December to May, with a single brood.[2]

The larvae feed on Hibiscus fuscus.

Subspecies

  • Spialia colotes colotes (Angola)
  • Spialia colotes semiconfluens de Jong, 1978 (Ethiopia, Somalia, eastern Kenya, north-eastern Uganda, south-western Arabia)
  • Spialia colotes transvaaliae (Trimen, 1889) - Transvaal grizzled skipper (South West Africa, Botswana, Transvaal, from Zimbabwe to Kenya)

References

  1. Savela, Markku (February 10, 2019). "Spialia colotes (Druce, 1875)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  2. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.


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