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Potanthus confucius
As characteristic of most Skippers, it has a wide head, hooked antennae, large eyes and a thick and hairy moth-like body. Also, it has a rapid, jerky and skipping flight and loves to bask in the sun in the typical Hesperiine posture, with the forewings held at 45° angle or almost upright while the hindwings held flat-open horizontally. The upperside of both set of wings has a pattern of yellowish-orange markings on a dark brown ground colour in wonderful contrast, while the undersides are a shade lighter. The yellowish-orange markings on the male are more pronounced while those of the female less distinct.
Distribution range: A very common butterfly that is widely distributed, extending from Southeast India, Myanmar to China and Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, Java and the Philippines. Habitat: Disturbed grassland, region with low-growing vegetation, gardens and parks, especially where Bamboos are available for breeding. Hostplant(s): The larvae feed on grasses and leaves of Bambusa (bamboo) of the family Poaceae.
Spotted on Jan 20, 2012
Submitted on Jun 25, 2012
2 Comments
Great shot :)
This is a skipper (AKA) a dart. These butterflies hold one pair of wings out at 90 degrees from their flat rear wings. This aids their rapid launch. Like a delta winged jet. Cool.