Gomalia elma

Last updated

Marbled skipper
African Mallow Skipper Gomalia elma (7960780474).jpg
Upperside of Gomalia elma
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Tribe: Carcharodini
Genus: Gomalia
Species:
G. elma
Binomial name
Gomalia elma
(Trimen, 1862)
Synonyms
  • Pyrgus elmaTrimen, 1862
  • Gomalia albofasciataMoore, 1879 [1]
  • Tavetana jeanneliPicard, 1949

Gomalia elma, also known as the marbled skipper or African marbled skipper, [2] [3] [4] is a species of hesperiid butterfly. It is found in Africa and parts of Asia. [4] [3] [5] [6] [1]

Contents

Description

Male. Upperside with the ground colour brownish-olive-grey. Forewing with a basal blackish-brown band, and an ante-medial darker band, the latter with its outer margin limited by a black thick line which extends from the sub-costal vein in an outward curve to the sub-median vein, its portion crossing the cell edged outwardly by a white lunular mark which closes the end of the cell, a white spot at the base of the second median interspace and another inwards below^ almost touching it, in the first median interspace, a large square blackish-brown patch on the costa limited outwardly by three sub-apical conjoined white spots, a similar but smaller patch at the apex, a larger similar patch on the middle of the outer margin, and a small narrow one at the hinder angle. Hlndwing darker, a white middle band from the sub-costal vein to the abdominal fold, the inner portion of the wing from the band to the base black, containing a white sub-basal spot, a black band narrowing upwards attached to the lower portion of the white band, and a blackish macular, marginal baud. Cilia of both wings grey, marked in places with brown. Underside grey. Forewing with a darker ante-medial outwardly curved band darker than the ground colour, a white and grey mark at the end of the cell, a broader, grey, discal, more outwardly curved band and a grey band on the lower two-thirds of the margin. Antennae blackish, the underside of the shaft greyish-white; palpi and body beneath and the legs grey like the colour of the wings; palpi, head and body above brownish-olive, abdomen with whitish, thin segmental bands.


Female similar to the male, usually larger.

The wingspan is 26–31 mm for males and 29–36 mm for females.

Distribution

In Africa, Gomalia elma is found inSouth Africa (the Cape region, and Free State), Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and other parts of Africa. In Asia, the butterfly ranges from Saudi Arabia,United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Pakistan (Baluchistan) and India. [4] [3]

Gomalia elma from United Arab Emirates UA2 3852.jpg
Gomalia elma from United Arab Emirates
Pupa of Marbled skipper Gomalia elma Pupa of Marbled skipper Gomalia elma.jpg
Pupa of Marbled skipper Gomalia elma
A fruticosum.jpg

Food plants

Underside of Gomalia elma African Marbled Skipper (UN).jpg
Underside of Gomalia elma
Abutilon pannosum, a peri agricultural bushy plant seen in Hajar mountains in United Arab Emirates and Oman Abutilon pannosum, larval host plant of Gomalia elma, the marbled skipper.jpg
Abutilon pannosum, a peri agricultural bushy plant seen in Hajar mountains in United Arab Emirates and Oman

Subspecies

Cited references

  1. 1 2 3 PD-icon.svg One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain : Swinhoe, Charles (1912–1913). Lepidoptera Indica. Vol. X. London: Lovell Reeve and Co. pp. 104–105.
  2. Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Gomalia elma". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index . Natural History Museum. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 R.K., Varshney; Smetacek, Peter (2015). A Synoptic Catalogue of the Butterflies of India. New Delhi: Butterfly Research Centre, Bhimtal & Indinov Publishing, New Delhi. p. 38. doi:10.13140/RG.2.1.3966.2164. ISBN   978-81-929826-4-9.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera Page on genus Gomalia .
  5. E. Y., Watson (1891). Hesperiidae Indicae : being a reprint of descriptions of the Hesperiidae of India, Burma, and Ceylon. Madras: Vest and Company. p. 159.
  6. W. H., Evans (1949). A Catalogue of the Hesperiidae from Europe, Asia, and Australia in the British Museum. London: British Museum (Natural History). Department of Entomology. p. 168.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Ampittia dioscorides</i> Species of butterfly

Ampittia dioscorides, the common bush hopper or simply bush hopper, is a species of butterfly found in India, China, Indochina, Cambodia and on to Borneo, Sumatra and Java belonging to the family Hesperiidae.

<i>Halpe homolea</i> Species of butterfly

Halpe homolea, the Indian ace or Ceylon ace, is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae.

<i>Halpe porus</i> Species of butterfly

Halpe porus, commonly known as Moore's ace, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae, found in India.

<i>Taractrocera maevius</i> Species of butterfly

Taractrocera maevius, the common grass dart, is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It is found in India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

<i>Telicota colon</i> Species of butterfly

Telicota colon, commonly known as the pale palm dart or common palm dart, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found from India to Australia.

<i>Thoressa astigmata</i> Species of butterfly

Thoressa astigmata, the southern spotted ace, is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. The species was first described by Charles Swinhoe in 1890. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of India and is found in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

<i>Tagiades japetus</i> Species of butterfly

Tagiades japetus, commonly known as the pied flat or the common snow flat, is a species of spread-winged skipper butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It is widely distributed, being found from India, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, to Australia. It contains several recognized subspecies.

<i>Nacaduba kurava</i> Species of butterfly

Nacaduba kurava, the transparent six-line blue, is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae found in Asia and Australia. The species was first described by Frederic Moore in 1857.

<i>Ionolyce helicon</i> Species of insect

Ionolyce helicon, the pointed lineblue, or bronze lineblue, is a small butterfly found in the Indomalayan realm that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.

<i>Arhopala abseus</i> Species of butterfly

Arhopala abseus, the aberrant oakblue or aberrant bushblue, is a species of lycaenid or blue butterfly found in Asia.

<i>Arhopala centaurus</i> Species of butterfly

Arhopala centaurus, the centaur oakblue or dull oakblue, is a species of lycaenid or blue butterfly found in India and southeast Asia to the Philippines.

<i>Cigaritis abnormis</i> Species of butterfly

Cigaritis abnormis, the abnormal silverline, is a species of lycaenid or blue butterfly found in south India and Pakistan.

<i>Zesius chrysomallus</i> Species of butterfly

Zesius chrysomallus, the redspot, is a species of lycaenid or blue butterfly found in Sri Lanka and India.

<i>Pratapa deva</i> Species of butterfly

Pratapa deva, the white royal, is a lycaenid or blue butterfly found in the Indomalayan realm. The species was first described by Frederic Moore in 1857.

<i>Tajuria melastigma</i> Species of butterfly

Tajuria melastigma, the branded royal, is a species of lycaenid or blue butterfly found in the Indomalayan realm.

<i>Deudorix perse</i> Species of butterfly

Deudorix perse, the large guava blue, is a species of lycaenid or blue butterfly found in the Indomalayan realm. It was described by William Chapman Hewitson in 1863. The larva feeds on Randia dumetorum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadtail royal</span> Monotypic butterfly genus in family Lycaenidae

The broadtail royal is a butterfly in the monotypic genus Creon, in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Asia.

<i>Parnara bada</i> Species of butterfly

Parnara bada, the African straight swift, grey swift or Ceylon swift, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in south-east Asia, from India through China to Indonesia, as well as the north-east coast of Australia.

<i>Celaenorrhinus putra</i> Species of butterfly

Celaenorrhinus putra, commonly known as the Bengal spotted flat, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in India and south-east Asia.

<i>Deudorix isocrates</i> Species of butterfly

Deudorix isocrates, the common guava blue, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793. It is found in India, Sri Lanka and Indochina in the Indomalayan realm. Other common names include pomegranate butterfly, and anar butterfly.

References

Print

Online