REDISCOVERY OF THE SPINIFEX SAND SKIPPER PROEIDOSA POLYSEMA IN THE DARWIN AREA NORTHERN TERRITORY

The Spinifex Sand-skipper ('Proeidosa polysema') (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) is recorded from two sites near Noonamah-Berry Springs, approximately 28 km south-east of Darwin. The species is recorded breeding on the grass 'Triodia bitextura' (Poaceae) growing in eucalypt open-woodland in sandy soil derived from laterite. The butterfly had not been recorded from the Darwin area for more than a century (since 1909) and its presence in the rural area confirms earlier historical collections made by renowned entomologist F.P. Dodd.