Skipper Butterflies. 
-S.A. NAT., VOL. XVI. 
July 24th, 1935. 
43. 
a perfect tube about two-and-a-half inches long by drawing the 
edges of a single leaf together and lining it with silk. Larvae 
start to pupate about the end of October. The pupae are pale 
green; the pupal cap has five raised platforms which are black. 
They are much smaller than in H . donnysa. About 25 per cent, 
of the pupae I have had have been parasitised. Butterflies 
emerge late in November. I have not seen them on the wing, 
but they should be taken in some of the wet gulleys in the 
hills where the swordgrass grows. 
Hesperilla chrysotricha cyclospila Meyrick cV Lower, 1902. 
This butterfly is rare in South Australia. More 
•specimens are wanted to compare with Victorian examples; Mel- 
bourne is the type locality. Slight differences are noticeable and 
when more example are available it is likely they will be found 
to constitute a new race. I have seen specimens from Pert 
Lincoln and found one pupae at Second Valley. No specimens 
have been recorded from the Mt. Lofty Ranges. I consider it 
likely that this butterfly will be found in the Mt. Lofty Ranges 
and also in other parts where Gahnia grows. The food plant 
is Gahnia psittacorum. The larvae make their shelters by roll- 
ing two leaves in a spiral manner to form a cylinder about 3 
inches long, lined with silk. The pupae lie head upwards and 
have a silken pad over them. This is the only Skipper pupa 
protected in this manner. It would be extremely interesting 
to find out how the butterfly emerges and escapes through the 
silken pad. 
Motasingha dirphia trimaculata Topper, 1882. 
This fine insect is rare in South Australia; it occurs in the 
Mt. Lofty Ranges. 1 have seen the butterfly on the wing at 
Aldgate and have taken one pupa there in October. This emerged 
in November. I have also obtained one female example at 
Woodside. These butterflies are fast fliers and are difficult to 
net. Larvae feed on a short reed-like grass and form tubular 
shelters in the leaves; they pupate head upwards. Pupae are 
light-brown with the anterior end slightly hairy; the pupal cap 
has three raised platforms. The sexes of this Skipper were at 
one time considered to belong to different species, owing to the 
great difference in their appearance. Specimens have been tak- 
en at Belair, Blackwood, Port Victor and Port Lincoln in Oc- 
tober and November. 
Motasingha, atralba atralba Teppelr, 1882. 
Recorded from Pt. Noarlunga and Ardrossan. The food 
plant is Gahnia la?rigera, a very short plant with tough, wiry 
leaves; it grows along the edgs of the sea cliffs, and in exposed 
and desolate places. The larvae form tubular shelters and pu- 
