Species Croitana croites (Hewitson, 1874)
Croites Skipper, Yellow Sand-skipper
- Cyclopides croites Hewitson, W.C. 1874. Illustrations of New Species of Exotic Butterflies, Selected Chiefly from the Collections of W. Wilson Saunders and William C. Hewitson. London : John van Voorst Vol. 5(89-92). [issued 1874, dated 1872–1877] [115 pl. [60] fig. 14].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH ♀, Australia (designated in original description)
Comment: Hewitson in the original description did not indicate the number of specimens described; Kirby, W.F. 1879. Catalogue of the Collection of Diurnal Lepidoptera Formed by the Late William Chapman Hewitson, of Oatlands, Walton-on-Thames; and Bequeathed by Him to the British Museum. London : John van Voorst iv 246 pp. [235] (listed a single specimen in the Hewitson collection and this is accepted as a holotype); Waterhouse, G.A. 1912. Notes and exhibits. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 37(2): 235–237 [publication date: Anon. 1929. List showing dates of publication of parts of the Proceedings for each year. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. Index to vols 1–50 (1875–1925).] [236] (type specimen information); Waterhouse, G.A. & Lyell, G. 1914. The Butterflies of Australia: a monograph of the Australian Rhopalocera introducing a complete scheme of structural classification, and giving descriptions and illustrations of all the butterflies found in Australia, including a number now recorded for the first time. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 239 pp. 38 pls + 3 unnumbered colour pls [181] (referred to the specimen as the type male).Type locality references:
Waterhouse, G.A. 1932. Australian Hesperiidae. II. Notes and descriptions of new forms. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 57(3–4): 218-238 [222] (discussed the type locality); Waterhouse, G.A. 1937. Australian Hesperiidae. VII. Notes on the types and type localities. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 62(3–4): 107-125 [117] (gave the type locality as near Perth); Evans, W.H. 1949. A Catalogue of the Hesperiidae from Europe, Asia and Australia in the British Museum (Natural History). London : British Museum xix 502 pp. 53 pls. [225] (gave the type locality as Carnarvon, WA); Edwards, E.D. 1979. Two new species of Croitana Waterhouse (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) from central Australia. Australian Entomological Magazine 6(2): 29-37 [38] (discussed the type locality). - Mesodina croites pindar Waterhouse, G.A. 1932. Australian Hesperiidae. II. Notes and descriptions of new forms. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 57(3–4): 218-238 [222].
Type data:
Lectotype AM KL09221 ♂, Pindar, WA (designated in original description).
Paralectotype(s) AM KL09222 1♀, Pindar, WA
Comment: Waterhouse in the original description mentioned a male and a female; Edwards, E.D., Newland, J. & Regan, L. 2001. Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea. In Wells, A. & Houston, W.W.K. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 31.6. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing, Australia. x 615 pp. (possibly the male labelled as the lectotype in the AM is not the original male syntype as it does not agree with the figures in Waterhouse & Lyell (1914)).Subsequent designation references:
Waterhouse, G.A. 1937. Australian Hesperiidae. VII. Notes on the types and type localities. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 62(3–4): 107-125 [117] (referred to a holotype); Peters, J.V. 1971. A Catalogue of the Type Specimens of the Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea (Lepidoptera) in the Australian Museum. Greenwich, NSW : Australian Entomological Press 36 pp. [15] (gave type information); Edwards, E.D., Newland, J. & Regan, L. 2001. Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea. In Wells, A. & Houston, W.W.K. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 31.6. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing, Australia. x 615 pp. (interpret Waterhouse's (1937) reference to a holotype as a lectotype designation (Art. 74, ICZN 1985)).
Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy
Distribution
States
Western Australia
Extra Distribution Information
Australian Endemic.
IBRA
WA: Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Carnarvon (CAR), Coolgardie (COO), Central Ranges (CR), Dampierland (DL), Esperance Plains (ESP), Gascoyne (GAS), Gibson Desert (GD), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Great Sandy Desert (GSD), Great Victoria Desert (GVD), Hampton (HAM), Jarrah Forest (JF), Little Sandy Desert (LSD), Mallee (MAL), Murchison (MUR), Nullarbor (NUL), Pilbara (PIL), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tanami (TAN), Warren (WAR), Yalgoo (YAL)
Ecological Descriptors
Larva: herbivore (associated flora: Austrostipa elegantissima (Labill.) S.W.L.Jacobs & J.Everett [POACEAE] Elegant Spear-grass; Austrostipa platychaeta (Hughes) S.W.L.Jacobs & J.Everett [POACEAE]; Austrostipa flavescens (Labill.) S.W.L.Jacobs & J.Everett [POACEAE]).
General References
Common, I.F.B. & Waterhouse, D.F. 1972. Butterflies of Australia. Sydney : Angus & Robertson xii 498 pp. 41 pls. [133] (mentioned Croitana croites pindar (Waterhouse, 1932), but subspecific status not recognised)
Common, I.F.B. & Waterhouse, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Sydney : Angus & Robertson xiv 682 pp. 49 pls. [185] (mentioned Croitana croites pindar (Waterhouse, 1932), but subspecific status not recognised)
Dunn, K.L. & Dunn, L.E. 1991. Review of Australian Butterflies: distribution, life history and taxonomy. Family Hesperiidae. Melbourne : K. & L. Dunn Vol. 2 197-335 pp. [241] (gave opinion on variation and taxonomic status)
Edwards, E.D. 1979. Two new species of Croitana Waterhouse (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) from central Australia. Australian Entomological Magazine 6(2): 29-37 [29] (provided a key to the Croitana Waterhouse, 1932 species, croites, aestiva and arenaria, described each species in detail, discussed type locality of croites)
Graham, A.J. 1988. The life history of a semi-arid population of Croitana croites (Hewitson), (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Trapezitinae). Australian Entomological Magazine 15(4): 123-126 [123]
Meyrick, E. & Lower, O. 1902. Revision of the Australian Hesperiadae. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 26(2): 38-129 [88] (as Trapezites croites (Hewitson, [1874]), redescription of female type in BMNH)
Waterhouse, G.A. 1903. Catalogue of the Rhopalocera of Australia. Memoirs of the NSW Naturalists' Club No. 1. iii 49 pp. [45] (as Mesodina croites (Hewitson), recommended that the type be 're-described and re-figured')
Waterhouse, G.A. 1932. Australian Hesperiidae. II. Notes and descriptions of new forms. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 57(3–4): 218-238 [222] (designation of a subspecies Mesodina croites pindar Waterhouse, 1932)
Waterhouse, G.A. 1932. New genera of Australian Hesperiidae and a new subspecies. The Australian Zoologist 7(3): 198-201 [199] (designation of new genus Croitana Waterhouse, 1932)
Waterhouse, G.A. 1937. Australian Hesperiidae. VII. Notes on the types and type localities. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 62(3–4): 107-125 [117] (referred to 'a very worn male from Hermannsburg, Central Australia' in BMNH, suggested that it belonged to Croitana croites pindar (Waterhouse, 1932))
Waterhouse, G.A. & Lyell, G. 1914. The Butterflies of Australia: a monograph of the Australian Rhopalocera introducing a complete scheme of structural classification, and giving descriptions and illustrations of all the butterflies found in Australia, including a number now recorded for the first time. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 239 pp. 38 pls + 3 unnumbered colour pls. [Date published 25 July 1914] [180] (redescribed from a male collected at Carnarvon, WA, and from a coloured drawing of the type in the BMNH, referred to specimens taken at Pindar, WA, and noted differences)
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07-Mar-2024 | PAPILIONOIDEA | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | Dr Michael Braby |
| 04-Feb-2023 | PAPILIONOIDEA | 22-Dec-2023 | MODIFIED | Dr Michael Braby (ANU) |
| 13-May-2022 | PAPILIONOIDEA | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | Dr Michael Braby |
| 26-Feb-2021 | PAPILIONOIDEA | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | Dr Michael Braby |
| 04-Jun-2020 | PAPILIONOIDEA | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | Dr Michael Braby |
| 06-Sep-2017 | PAPILIONOIDEA | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | |
| 06-Sep-2017 | HESPERIIDAE | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | Lyn Randall |
| 05-Mar-2013 | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | ||
| 05-Mar-2013 | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | ||
| 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED |