Butterfly Hotspots: Kallar (Coimbatore Dt.)
Hesperiidae
Skippers as they are called are small in size and many may fail
to recognise them as Butterflies. They are so named after their
swift and straight line like movement. They also have powerful
eyes. The three Awls that are recorded here are Brown, Or-
ange-tail and Common Banded. Malabar Spotted Flat and
Common Snow Flat are the regulars among the other Flats that
are sighted here. Common Yellow-breasted Flat (which is rare)
was recorded from here in the year 2009. While the Chestnut
and Golden make up the Angles, the Indian Skipper is sighted
more often than the other skipper- African Marbled, which is
rare here. Among the Halpe species, the Halpe hindu is more
common than the Halpe porus. The Chestnut Bob should easily
be the most dominant of skippers while Grass Demon, etc are
seasonal. Wax Dart and Tree Flitters – not so common- are
recorded once or twice from the location. Other species to
make a presence include most common ones like Palm-Darts,
Potanthus sp., Parnara species, Borbo species and Grass Darts.
The common Oriens goloides and a relatively higher elevation
species and rare Oriens concinna both have been recorded
here. However, skippers have been poorly represented com-
pared to all other families.