Borbo borbonica

Borbo borbonica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Hesperiidae
Genus:	Borbo
Species:	B. borbonica
Binomial name
Borbo borbonica (Boisduval, 1833)
Synonyms
Hesperia borbonica Boisduval, 1833 Hesperia borbonica zelleri Lederer, 1855 Pamphila borbonica-holli Oberthür, 1910 Hesperia senegalensis Klug, 1842 Hesperia zelleri Lederer, 1855 Pamphila borbonica holii Oberthür, 1910 in Oberthür, 1909-10 Parnara borbonica var. continentalis Strand, 1912 Pamphila morella de Joannis, 1893

Borbo borbonica (Boisduval, 1833)

Borbo borbonica, the borbo skipper, Zeller's skipper or olive haired swift, is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found along the southern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, but mainly in Syria, Arabia, Africa, Mauritius and Réunion.

The length of the forewings is 14–15 mm. Adults are on wing from September to October.

In North Africa Leersia oryzoides and Sorghum halepense have been recorded as food plants for the larvae. In Mauritius, they feed on various grasses, such as Panicum. In South-Africa, larvae have been recorded on Ehrharta erecta, Oryza, Pennisetum and Zea mays.

Subspecies

• Borbo borbonica borbonica (Gibraltar, North Africa, Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, including Mauritania, Senegal Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, northern Nigeria, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, northern Botswana, northern Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Madagascar, Reunion, Rodrigues, Mauritius)
• Borbo borbonica morella (de Joannis, 1893) (Seychelles)