"Banana skipper" redirects here. For the other butterfly with this common name, see Erionota torus.
Palm redeye
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Hesperiidae
Genus:
Erionota
Species:
E. thrax
Binomial name
Erionota thrax
(Linnaeus, 1767)
Synonyms
Papilio thrax Linnaeus, 1767
Erionota thrax, the palm redeye[1] or the banana skipper, is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It is found from India,[1] through south-eastern Asia to Papua New Guinea. In the north it is found up to southern China. It is an introduced species on various Pacific islands, including the Solomon Islands and Hawaii. It has also been recorded from Mauritius.[2]
Erionota thrax caterpillar on a banana leaf (Musa sp.), Maui, HawaiiRolled banana leaf caused by Erionota thraxErionota thrax on a banana flowerbud
The wingspan is 70–77 mm. There are multiple generations per year.
The larvae feed on the leaves of Musa species, especially Musa textilis. It has also been recorded on Cocos nucifera and other palm species.
The rolls in banana leaves that E. thrax larvae create when feeding have been used as overwintering shelters for wasp species Polistes japonicus in Okinawa, Japan.[3][4]
^ abR.K., Varshney; Smetacek, Peter (2015). A Synoptic Catalogue of the Butterflies of India. New Delhi: Butterfly Research Centre, Bhimtal & Indinov Publishing, New Delhi. p. 54. doi:10.13140/RG.2.1.3966.2164. ISBN 978-81-929826-4-9.
^The Banana Skipper's Leaf Scroll: A New Overwintering Site for the Okinawan Paper Wasp, Polistes japonicus / Yosiaki ITO and Hiroaki NAKAMORI
^Biological control of the banana skipper, Pelopidas thrax (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera; Hesperiidae) in Hawaii./Mau, R. F. L.; Murai, K.; Kumashiro, B.; Teramoto, K.
Erionotathrax, the palm redeye or the banana skipper, is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It is found from India, through south-eastern...
Australimusa), having a diploid chromosome number of 2n = 20. Banana skipper (Erionotathrax) on inflorescence Inflorescence Inflorescence with male flowers Wikispecies...
This is a list of butterflies of the Northern Mariana Islands. Erionotathrax (Linnaeus, 1767) Papilio xuthus Linnaeus, 1767 Papilio polytes palewensis...
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