Aeromachus stigmata

Aeromachus stigmata, the veined scrub hopper, is a skipper, a type of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. The species was first described by Frederic Moore in 1878.[1][2][3]

Aeromachus stigmata
Lateral view
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Aeromachus
Species:
A. stigmata
Binomial name
Aeromachus stigmata
(Moore, 1878)

Subspecies

There are three subspecies of Aeromachus stigmata:[1][4]

  • Aeromachus stigmata stigmata (Moore, 1878) – Himalayan veined scrub hopper
  • Aeromachus stigmata obsoleta (Moore, 1878) – Patkai veined scrub hopper
  • Aeromachus stigmata shanda

Description
For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

The wingspan is 22–28 mm (1–1 in).[1] The species was described by Edward Yerbury Watson in his 1891 Hesperiidae Indica as:

Male and female. Upperside glossy olive-brown: forewing with a short black bar or brand of raised scales obliquely above the middle of hind margin, and a very indistinct upper discal slightly curved row of six small pale spots: cilia whitish-cinereous, with slight brown bars. Underside paler; costal border of the forewing, veins, and basal interspaces of the hindwing speckled with greenish-grey; forewing with whitish discal maculated band as above, but more distinct, a spot at end of the cell and a marginal row of lunules less distinct; hindwing with a distinct whitish cell-spot and a submarginal and marginal lunular band. Female without the raised bar and the discal band above less distinct.[1]

Distribution and habitat

Aeromachus stigmata stigmata is distributed from Murree in Pakistan to Arunachal Pradesh; the north sest Himalayas, Sikkim and Bhutan. A. s. obsoletus is distributed in north-east India, south-east Bangladesh, and northern Myanmar. A. s. shanda is found in Myanmar from the northern Shan States to Kayin State.[1]

They are predominantly found from the foothills to 1700 meter open forest regions. Their flight period is from April to October.[1] In India, May is the best time to spot them. They fly close to the ground and are sometimes spotted basking on the shrubs or grass.[1]

References
  1. Watson, E. Y. (1891). Hesperiidae Indica: Being a Reprint of Descriptions of the Hesperiidae of India, Burma and Ceylon. Madras: Vest and Company. p. 74.
  2. "Aeromachus stigmata Moore, 1878". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  3. "Taxonomy browser (Aeromachus stigmata)". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  4. "Aeromachus stigmata (Moore, 1878) – Veined Scrub Hopper". Butterflies of India. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
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