Erionota thrax, the palm redeye or the banana skipper, is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It is found from India, through south-eastern Asia to Papua New Guinea. In the north it is found up to southern China. It is an introduced species on various Pacific islands, including the Solomon Islands and Hawaii. It has also been recorded from Mauritius.Afrotropical Butterflies: Hesperiidae - Subfamily Hesperiinae
The wingspan is 70–77 mm. There are multiple generations per year.
The larvae feed on the leaves of Musa species, especially Musa textilis. It has also been recorded on Cocos nucifera and other palm species.
The rolls in banana leaves that E. thrax larvae create when feeding have been used as overwintering shelters for wasp species Polistes japonicus in Okinawa, Japan.The Banana Skipper's Leaf Scroll: A New Overwintering Site for the Okinawan Paper Wasp, Polistes japonicus / Yosiaki ITO and Hiroaki NAKAMORI Biological control of the banana skipper, Pelopidas thrax (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera; Hesperiidae) in Hawaii./Mau, R. F. L.; Murai, K.; Kumashiro, B.; Teramoto, K.
Description
Subspecies Erionota thrax thrax (Indonesia) Erionota thrax mindana Evans, 1941 (southern and central Philippines) Erionota thrax hasdrubal Fruhstorfer, 1910 (northern Moluccas) Erionota thrax alexandra De Long et Treadaway, 1993 (Luzon, northern Philippines)
References