The Chinese Banana Skipper, Erionota torus (Evans)

The Banana Skippers are moderately common in localities where its foodplant banana is cultivated or growing wild. The larvae can easily be singled out in tell-tale rolled banana leaves. They sometimes enter houses in the evening, attracted to the lights of the house, being crespuscular in habits. In Malaysia, 2 species of closely ressembling Erionota exist in the same localities and E. torus can be differentiated from E. thrax by its squarish spot 3 of the forewing (see pix below). From observations, the pupas tend to be more readily found in the wetter months from Nov - Feb (growth spurts of wild bananas due to rain?)

Habitat indicator

RSP	WV	PG	VF	FTR	SC	LWDF	LWPF	LMEF	UMN	MN
			x	x	x	x		x

Frequency observation chart: (S marks the usual occurences, H marks an unusually high occurence, F for first record)

2014

2015

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mac

Apr

May

June

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

S

S

S

S

S

S

2016
Jan	Feb	Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

2017
Jan	Feb	Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

2018
Jan	Feb	Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

2019
Jan	Feb	Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

 Above photos of the final instar caterpillar, covered with a white waxy substance akin to the white powder under a clean banana leaf. This caterpillar was taken from an infected wild banana plant along a forested path @ 600M

the pupa in the rolled-up banana leaf...

The pupa eclosed in the early hours of the morning...

Notice the rather squarish spot 3 on the forewing

It was released into the garden under a Calathea shrub: 01 Nov 2014 @ 8:15

Above pix of infested banana leaves - the sides are "torn away" to form the cigar-like rolled-up nest of the caterpillars

This one eclosed at noon on 28 Nov 2014.