Potanthus

For the moths sometimes known as "darts", see Noctuidae.

Darts
The large dart (Potanthus serina) from Luzon, Philippines
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Tribe: Taractrocerini
Genus: Potanthus
Scudder, 1872
Species

See text

Synonyms[1]
  • Padraona Moore, 1882
  • Inessa de Nicéville, 1897

Potanthus is a large genus of skipper butterflies. They are commonly known as darts. They are found from South Asia to East Asia, and down to maritime Southeast Asia (though not extending towards New Guinea). It includes about 35 species, all of which look very similar to each other and are often only reliably identifiable through the examination of the male genitalia.[2]

Potanthus species are sun-loving diurnal flyers. They are usually found in primary and secondary forests, as well as in partly cleared areas, grasslands, and near small villages. Occasionally they may be found in swamps and mangrove forests.[2][1] The larvae feed on Bambusa (bamboo) and Dendrocalamus (both Gramineae). It includes the following species:

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Potanthus.
  1. ^ a b Markku Savela. "Potanthus Scudder, 1872". Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Rienk de Jong & Colin Guy Treadaway (1993). "The Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera) of the Philippines". Zoologische Verhandelingen. 288: 3–125.