White-banded Grass-dart showing characteristic white bands on the underside of the wings.
Photo: Brian Bainbridge
Scientific Name: Bibla papyria subsp. papyria
Family of Butterflies: Hesperiidae (skippers)
Other Common Names: White Grass-dart
Wingspan: 19-20mm – males and females are similar size.
Local Records: There are a few recent records (2020 onwards) from Newstead, Drumond and Bularto on iNaturalist and on Atlas of Living Australia. Earlier records from Castlemaine, Fryerstown and Vaughan do not appear on these databases.
| Tony Morton’s records of White-banded Grass-dart from the local area (between 2000 to 2013) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Location | Notes |
| 8-Nov-2000 | Rotunda, Kalimna Park | |
| 14-Nov-2000 | Rotunda, Kalimna Park | |
| 21-Nov-2000 | Vaughan | |
| 25-Nov-2000 | Rotunda, Kalimna Park | |
| 24 Feb 2003 | Vaughan | on Buddleia in garden |
| 24-Feb-2011 | Garden, Fryerstown | |
| 18-Oct-2011 | Vaughan walk | |
| 18-Nov-2011 | Kalimna Point | |
| 30-Oct-2012 | Garden, Fryerstown | |
| 24-Nov-2012 | Garden, Fryerstown | |
Distribution outside our region: In Victoria records are concentrated in the Melbourne – Geelong area with scattered records across the rest of the state. Nationally there are records of this species in all states across eastern and southern Australia.
Larval Host Plants: Numerous grasses, including natives (e.g. Wallaby Grass Austrodanthonia spp., Weeping Grass Microlaena stipoides, Phragmites, Tussock Grass Poa spp.) and introduced species (e.g. Couch grass Cynodon dactylon, Paspalum Paspalum dilatatum).
Larval Association with Ants: None
Adult Flight Times in Victoria: Possibly two generations annually, with peaks in adults occurring in late spring (Oct to Dec) and early autumn (Feb-March). Adults observed flying in Victoria from September to April. Ref Field 2013 and iNaturalist.
Conservation Status:
- The Action plan for Australian Butterflies: Vulnerable in Australia
References and further reading:
Atlas of Living Australia – Bibla papyria, White-banded grass-dart
iNaturalist – Bibla papyria, White-banded Grass-dart
Braby, M. F. (2016) The Complete Field Guide to the Butterflies of Australia, 2nd Edition. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Field, R.P. (2013) Butterflies: Identification and Life History. Museum Victoria Publishing, Melbourne.