Telicota mesoptis Lower, 1911
Narrow-brand Darter
 HESPERIINAE,   HESPERIIDAE,   PAPILIONOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley


female
(Photo: courtesy of CSIRO/BIO Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

The Caterpillars of this species are green with a dark dorsal line, and a brown head. The caterpillars grow to a length up to 4 cms. They feed on various grasses (POACEAE), including

  • Sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ).

    The caterpillars live in a cylindrical shelter made from a leaf of the foodplant. Pupation occurs in a curled leaf on the ground.


    male
    (Picture: courtesy of CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences)

    The adults are brown with orange patches. The males have a narrow grey line across part of each forewing upper surface. Underneath, the butterflies are greenish-orange with light and dark markings. The butterflies have a wingspan up to 3 cms.


    underside
    (Photo: courtesy of Graeme Cocks, Townsville, Queensland)

    This species occurs in the tropical north of Australia in

  • Queensland.

    Further reading :

    Michael F. Braby,
    Butterflies of Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 1, pp. 227-228.

    Oswald B. Lower,
    Revision of the Australian Hesperiadae,
    Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia,
    Volume 35 (1911), p. 157, No. 80.

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    (written 19 March 2004, updated 5 January 2024)