Spialia confusa

Confusing Sandman
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Hesperiidae
Genus:	Spialia
Species:	S. confusa
Binomial name
*Spialia confusa* (Higgins, 1925)^[1]
Synonyms
Hesperia transvaaliae var. confusa Higgins, 1925 Hesperia transvaaliae var. fasciata Higgins, 1924 Hesperia transvaaliae var. obscura Higgins, 1924

The Confusing Sandman (Spialia confusa) is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in south-eastern Africa, from Zululand, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to Kenya.

The wingspan is 19–25 mm.^[2] These skippers are dark brown with white spots and both sides of the wings. In S. confusa, there is median band of white on the underside of the hindwings.^[2] Adults are on wing year-round with peaks from October to March.^[2]

The larvae feed on Melhania and Triumfetta species.

Subspecies

Spialia confusa confusa (central Tanzania, Malawi, northern Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, South Africa: Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal)
Spialia confusa obscura Evans, 1937 (eastern and central Kenya, north-eastern Tanzania)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spialia confusa.

Wikispecies has information related to: Spialia confusa

↑ Spialia, Site of Markku Savela
1 2 3 Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town:Struik Publishers, 2005.

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