Trapezites luteus (Yellow Ochre)

Synonyms

Trapezites lutea

Other Common Names

Rare White-spot Skipper

Notes

I first saw this butterfly whilst looking for Paralucia spinifera at Lithgow. There were a few of these skippers in the grassier parts of the site. Mostly they were flying slowly and low to the ground, rarely settling. I first thought they were the more common T. petalia, so I didn’t pay them as much attention as I should have. But when I saw one settled on a flower I took a few photos, in case it was this species instead.

The next encounter was at the same site, exactly 4 years later. It was a chilly day, only 14C, but there still must have been half a dozen or so luteus on the wing. Unfortunately I haven’t seen them again at that site despite multiple subsequent visits.

The only other occasion I’ve photographed them was on a day trip to southern NSW and ACT, when I saw them in larger numbers. They appear to me a lot more common down there.

Sightings

Lithgow – November 2004, November 2008
Michelago, NSW – October 2018
Tuggeranong, ACT – October 2018

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