Celaenorrhinus
| Sprites | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Celaenorrhinus ambareesa | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Subfamily: | Pyrginae |
| Tribe: | Celaenorrhini |
| Genus: |
Celaenorrhinus Hübner, [1819] |
| Species | |
|
Numerous, but see text |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
Numerous, but see text
Celaenorrhinus is a genus of skipper butterflies which are commonly termed sprites. An alternate name is flats, for their habit of holding their wings flat when resting, but this is . They belong to the spread-winged skipper subfamily (Pyrginae), and therein are the type genus of tribe Celaenorrhini.
Celaenorrhinus species are found in most tropical regions. However, rather than a monophyletic genus the group appears to be a paraphyletic assemblage, and will probably be split up in the future.
The following is a description of the genus from an old work and may not account for more recent taxonomic changes.
Forewing, costa slightly arched, apex rather acute, outer margin convex, inner margin straight; costal nervure terminating opposite the apex of the discoidal cell, first, second, and third subcostal nervules with their bases almost equidistant, fourth subcostal with its base half as near to the base of the third subcostal as that vein is to the second, terminating at the apex of the wing, terminal portion of subcostal nervure. or fifth subcostal nervule with its base almost touching that of the fourth, terminating on the outer margin far below the apex of the wing; discoidal cell long, narrow; upper disco-cellular nervule straight, strongly outwardly oblique, very short; middle and lower disco-cellular nervules almost in the same straight line (the lower a little concave), the lower a little longer than the upper, both veins taken together strongly inwardly oblique; second median nervule arising some little distance before the lower end of the cell, first median nervule arising much nearer to the base of the wing than to the point where the second median is given off; submedian nervure slightly recurved; internal nervure short and quickly running into the submedian nervure, with which it entirely anastomoses. Hindwing, costa strongly arched at base then straight to apex, which latter is somewhat acute in the male, rounded in the female, outer margin rounded, inner margin convex; costal nervure almost straight, terminating just before the apex of the wing; first subcostal nervule originating some distance before the apex of the cell; upper disco-cellular nervule straight, very slightly outwardly oblique; lower disco-cellular also slightly outwardly oblique, at first concave, then straight, a little longer than the upper disco-cellular; discoidal nervule very fine, straight, arising at the point of junction of the disco-cellular nervules; second median nervule arising just before the lower end of the cell, first median arising much nearer the lower end of the cell than the base of the wing; submedian and internal nervures straight. Type: the Papilio eligius of Cramer.
...
Wikipedia