HESPERIIDAL 
I2 5 
Suastus gremius, Fabr. 
A very common Skipper here, to be seen almost everywhere, but especially on scrubby 
waste land and hillsides in the neighbourhood of the foodplant of the larva. The light yellowish- 
white spots in the forewing vary much in size, but the three spots in the median interspaces are 
usually large and distinct, especially in the In the $ the small spots on the anterior of the forewing 
are often much obscured or even wanting. The black spots on the underside of the hindwing are 
usually five in number, but often they are indistinct and one or two perhaps obsolete; the sexes are 
very much alike. This Skipper has a rather swift flight, but spends much of its time resting with 
half-open wings on foliage. 
Fig. 25, PI. XIV is from a $ taken in November, but this species is on the wing more or 
less almost throughout the year. 
Egg, sub-conical, with a small flat circular top, the body strongly ribbed axially with many 
ragged-edged ridges; of a general dull yellowish, the ridges paler. Later on the egg becomes dark 
purplish, the ridges white. Laid singly on either side of leaves of Phoenix hanceana , Naudin, Nat. 
Ord. Palmce , the foodplant of the larva, a spiky, stiff-leaved smalb palm common to S. China, 
including Formosa and Hainan. 
Larva, just hatched, dark red, head reddish-yellow. Fullgrown, smooth or very finely 
wrinkled transversely, general colour greenish-yellow. A well-defined dark dorsal longitudinal line. 
The last segment with two darker patches of greenish-yellow, one each side of the dorsal line, edged 
round with lighter colour, but the patches are rather indistinct. Head black, divided down the 
centre of the face by a broad white stripe, itself centred by a dusky line. Sides of the head white 
edged with black. Underside, legs and prolegs greenish-yellow. The very young larva cuts two 
channels in one side of a leaf blade towards the mid-rib, where the channels are brought closer 
together, and the small piece of leaf thus hinged, as it were, is easily turned over on to the blade in 
spite of the stiff and harsh nature of the leaves of this palm, thus forming a shelter.* {See figure on 
PL Vila.) The larva pupates either between two leaves brought close together—at one part and 
secured with silk, or a piece of leaf is nearly cut off and turned over on to the main portion, 
forming a rough tube of this section • Sometimes a few threads of silk make a slight 
network over the openings at either end of this shelter, but the ends are always brought fairly close 
together. 
Pupa, smooth, of a general yellowish-white, slightly dusted over with a white powder. 
Attached by the tip of the abdomen only. 
0 Several small spiders construct shelters from leaves in much the same manner. 
