Heath Ochre, Trapezites phigalia showing upper wing.
Photo: Brian Bainbridge
Heath Ochre, Trapezites phigalia showing underside of wings.
Photo: Euan Moore
Scientific Name: Trapezites phigalia
Family of Butterflies: Hesperiidae (skippers)
Other Common Names: Phigalia Skipper
Wingspan: 29mm (Male), 31mm (female)
Museum specimens. Photo: Tony Morton
Note 1: The male occurs on the top row and the female on the bottom row. The upper side of the butterfly wings are shown on the left and the underside side of the butterfly wings are shown on the right.
Note 2: The plant name refers to the plant upon which the butterfly larvae (caterpillars) feed.
Local Records: Tony Morton recorded this species at a number of locations close to Castlemaine. Most of his records were in the wetter years, 2011-2012 (see below). There are recent records of this species from from the Castlemaine area on iNaturalist. Atlas of Living Australia shows additional local records for the area including two undated museum specimens.
| Tony Morton’s records of Heath Ochre from the local area (between 2000 to 2013) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Location | Notes |
| 25-Nov-2012 | Tower, Tunnel Hill Tk., Elphinstone | |
| 21-Nov-2012 | Vaughan garden | a pair |
| 31-Oct-2012 | Kalimna Point | 11 – 12 am 28C |
| 30-Oct-2012 | The Monk, Chewton | |
| 18-Nov-2011 | Kalimna Point | |
| 15-Nov-2011 | The Monk, Chewton | |
| 12-Nov-2011 | Tower, Tunnel Hill Tk., Elphinstone | Common |
| 14-Oct-2011 | Kalimna ridge | |
| 6-Nov-2009 | Fryer’s Ridge Road | 4 p.m. 26ºC |
| 1-Nov-2006 | The Monk, Chewton | |
| 26-Nov-2003 | Kalimna Park, Castlemaine, Vic. | |
| 14-Nov-2000 | The Monk, Chewton | 288m |
| 8-Nov-2000 | Ridge, Kalimna Park | |
Distribution outside our region: The majority of records outside our region for Victoria are from around Bendigo, the Melbourne area and the Latrobe Valley with scattering of other records from across the state. Outside Victoria this species has been recorded from eastern NSW, south-eastern Queensland and the Adelaide area.
Larval Host Plants: Mat Rushes (Lomandra sp.), particularly Wattle Mat-rush (L. filiformis).
Larval association with ants: None.
Adult Flight Times in Victoria: Peak in October and November, with a few records in December and January.
Conservation Status:
- The Action plan for Australian Butterflies: Vulnerable in Australia
Other Notes: Probably uncommon or overlooked in the Mount Alexander Shire. This species is very similar to the Montane Ochre, T. phigalioides, which also occurs in our region.
References and further reading:
Atlas of Living Australia – Trapezites phigalia, Heath ochre
iNaturalist Australia – Trapezites phigalia, Heath Ochre
Braby, Michael F., Second edition 2016. The Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia. CSIRO Publishing.
Field, Ross P., 2013. Butterflies: Identification and Life History. Museum Victoria.