Toxidia rietmanni

Toxidia rietmanni (Semper, [1879])
(one synonym: Telesto rietmanni)
White Brand Skipper
TRAPEZITINAE , HESPERIIDAE

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

Toxidia rietmanni
(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Sydney)

This Caterpillar is brown with a pinkish or greenish tinge between segments, and some obscure darker lines along the body. The head is a mottled dark brown. The Caterpillar makes a tubular shelter by joining leaves with silk, in which it rests by day. At night, it emerges to feed on a number of grasses ( POACEAE ),including:

Bordered Panic Grass ( Entolasia marginata ),

Graceful Panic Grass ( Ottochloa gracillima ), and

Dwarf Panic Grass ( Panicum pygmaeum ).

The caterpillar grows to a length of about 2 cms. It pupates in the surface debris on the ground.

Female
(Specimen: courtesy of The Australian Museum)

The adult butterfly of this species has brown wings, with two or three white splotches on each forewing. The butterflies have a wingspan of about 2.5 cms.

Male
(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

The male butterfly has a sex brand consisting of a white zigzag line outlined in black on each forewing.

Two main races of this species are found along the east coast of Australia :

parasema in northern Queensland, and

rietmanni in southern Queensland and in New South Wales.