Borbo fatuellus
Encyclopedia
The Long Horned Swift, Long Horned Skipper or Foolish Swift (Borbo fatuellus) is a butterfly
of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in tropical Africa
and south-western Arabia.
The wingspan
is 33–42 mm for males and 40–43 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, but are more common from October to May in southern Africa.
The larvae feed on Ehrharta erecta
and Setaria megaphylla
.
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...
of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in tropical Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and south-western Arabia.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 33–42 mm for males and 40–43 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, but are more common from October to May in southern Africa.
The larvae feed on Ehrharta erecta
Ehrharta erecta
Ehrharta erecta is a species of grass also known as panic veldtgrass. The species is native to Southern Africa and Yemen. It is a documented invasive species in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, southern Europe, and China....
and Setaria megaphylla
Setaria megaphylla
The Broad-Leaved Bristle Grass is native to south-eastern Africa. It may be found in glades in forested areas and along rivers or streams. It can grow to more than 2m tall and has broad dark green leaves and hairy leaf sheaths...
.
Subspecies
- Borbo fatuellus fatuellus (coastal lowland forests and wooded Savannah from the East Cape to Swaziland and along the coast to northern KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Limpopo Province and the further north)
- Borbo fatuellus dolens (Mabille, 1898)
- Borbo fatuellus thomea (Evans, 1937)