Euschemon rafflesia
Encyclopedia
The Regent Skipper, Euschemon rafflesia, is a skipper butterfly (family
(Hesperiidae). It is found in Australia
. It is the only member of its genus
Euschemon.
It is large by Hesperiidae standards, but still a fairly small butterfly. Its common name refers to the gaudy coloration, basically black with conspicuous yellow and red dots and bands. A peculiar trait of this butterfly
are the males' frenulum and retinaculum which couple the fore- and hindwing together in flight. This structure is presumably plesiomorphic for most or all Macrolepidoptera
, but is absent in all known Rhopalocera (butterflies) except E. rafflesia and the moth-butterflies (Hedylidae).
It was formerly often included in the tribe
Tagiadini
of the subfamily of spread-winged skippers (Pyrginae). But in reality, it seems to be the single most distinct living skipper butterfly. Consequently, it is treated as a monotypic
subfamily Euschemoninae, as was first proposed by William Forsell Kirby
as early as 1897.
uncertainties that have surrounded it for long, is a rather variable species
. Consequently, it has been treated under a variety of names, which are nowadays considered junior synonyms. For example:
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Hesperiidae). It is found in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is the only member of its genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Euschemon.
It is large by Hesperiidae standards, but still a fairly small butterfly. Its common name refers to the gaudy coloration, basically black with conspicuous yellow and red dots and bands. A peculiar trait of this butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
are the males' frenulum and retinaculum which couple the fore- and hindwing together in flight. This structure is presumably plesiomorphic for most or all Macrolepidoptera
Macrolepidoptera
Macrolepidoptera is a group within the insect order Lepidoptera. Traditionally used for the larger butterflies and moths as opposed to the "Microlepidoptera", this group is unnatural. However, it seems that by moving some taxa about, a monophyletic Macrolepidoptera can be easily achieved...
, but is absent in all known Rhopalocera (butterflies) except E. rafflesia and the moth-butterflies (Hedylidae).
It was formerly often included in the tribe
Tribe (biology)
In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...
Tagiadini
Tagiadini
The Tagiadini are a tribe in the skipper butterfly subfamily Pyrginae. Many of its genera were of uncertain relationships for long, and delimitation of the Tagiadini versus the Celaenorrhini was quite disputed at times. The species of this tribe are found in mostly tropical regions of Africa, Asia...
of the subfamily of spread-winged skippers (Pyrginae). But in reality, it seems to be the single most distinct living skipper butterfly. Consequently, it is treated as a monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
subfamily Euschemoninae, as was first proposed by William Forsell Kirby
William Forsell Kirby
William Forsell Kirby was an English entomologist and folklorist.He was born in Leicester. He was the eldest son of Samuel Kirby, who was a banker. He was educated privately, and became interested in butterflies and moths at an early age. The family moved to Brighton, where he became acquainted...
as early as 1897.
Synonyms
The Regent Skipper, in addition to the systematicSystematic
Systematic is an American hard rock band from Oakland, California. They were one of the first signings to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich's record label, The Music Company, via Elektra Records. The band released two studio albums before disbanding in 2004....
uncertainties that have surrounded it for long, is a rather variable species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. Consequently, it has been treated under a variety of names, which are nowadays considered junior synonyms. For example:
- Euschemon alba Mabille, [1903]
- Euschemon alboornatus Olliff, 1891
- Euschemon viridis Waterhouse, 1932
- Exometoeca rafflesia (Macleay, [1827])
- Hesperia rafflesia Macleay, [1827]