| Tagiades parra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tagiades parra parra from Mindanao, Philippines | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Clade: | Euarthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Tagiades |
| Species: | T. parra |
| Binomial name | |
| Tagiades parra Fruhstorfer, 1910 | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Tagiades parra is a species of spread-winged skipper butterflies in the genus Tagiades . It is found from Sikkim and Assam to Indochina and all throughout maritime Southeast Asia. The species was first described by the German entomologist Hans Fruhstorfer in 1910 as a subspecies of Tagiades gana . The type specimens were collected from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The species name is from Latin parra, a supernatural bird (usually an owl or a crow) bringing ill omen. [2]
In biology, a species ( ) is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. While these definitions may seem adequate, when looked at more closely they represent problematic species concepts. For example, the boundaries between closely related species become unclear with hybridisation, in a species complex of hundreds of similar microspecies, and in a ring species. Also, among organisms that reproduce only asexually, the concept of a reproductive species breaks down, and each clone is potentially a microspecies.
A genus is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, as well as viruses, in biology. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus.
Tagiades, commonly known as snow flats, is a genus of spread-winged skipper butterflies. It is the type genus of the tribe Tagiadini of the subfamily Pyrginae in the family Hesperiidae. It contains seventeen species; three of which are found in tropical Africa, while fourteen are found from India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, northeast Australia, to the Pacific Islands. They are primarily diurnal butterflies, and can usually be found in secondary forests at up to 1,300 m (4,300 ft) above sea level. They can sometimes be encountered in partially cleared or cultivated areas. They are fast flyers, flying at an average height of 2 to 6 m. They usually rest on the undersides of leaves. When disturbed they will fly away but will usually return to the preferred area, often to the same leaf.
It has since been recognized as a separate species and four subspecies are included under it: [1] [3] [4]
- Tagiades parra galaEvans,1949
- Tagiades parra naxosEvans,1949
- Tagiades parra niasanaMabille & Boullet, 1916
- Tagiades parra parraFruhstorfer, 1910
Tagiades parra can be distinguished from other species of Tagiades by the absence of hyaline spots in space 11 over the cell spot, and spaces 2 and 3 in the forewings. A dark spot on space 6 on the upper side of the hindwing is closer to the edges (termen) than to the origin of vein 7. The hind tibiae of males also lack hair pencils. [3]
