SOUTH AUSTRALIAN BUTTERFLIES

Hesperilla donnysa donnysa Hewitson  (Donnysa Sedge-skipper)
Hesperilla donnysa donnysa form delos Waterhouse  (Donnysa Sedge-skipper)
Hesperilla donnysa donnysa form flavescens Waterhouse  (Yellowish Sedge-skipper)

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First instar larva from Mt Lofty

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First instar larva moulting, showing the wine-red coloured area around the neck.
The new head for the larva is forming directly behind the old black coloured head

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Second instar larva on left, third instar on right, from the Mt Lofty area

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Fourth instar larva of form flavescens from southern Yorke Peninsula.
This is a male larva indicated by the pair of pale yellow,
small organs present on the dorsal side about midway along the body

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Final instar larva from the Lower Southeast.
(This larva is a female as it does not have the pair of posterior, dorsal yellow organs)

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Different coloured forms of the head for the mature instar larvae.
Forms without the side stripe are very rare

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This larva has just moulted and the pale areas are still green, but which later turn brown

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Posterior end of a mature larva (dark form skipper),
showing the rear anal plate and the tiny dark secondary setae

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Anal plate secondary setae on mature larvae of the dark form skipper

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Anal plate secondary setae on a mature larva of form flavescens

Photography by R. Grund