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Whirlabout
Anne Toal, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist

Butterflies & moths

Whirlabout

Polites vibex (Geyer, 1832)

Names

EnglishWhirlabout
Dutch—
SpanishSaltarina remolino
Chinese—
Sranan Tongokapelka (general name for the group)
Scientific namePolites vibex (Geyer, 1832)

About this species

Polites vibex, or the whirlabout, is a grass skipper in the family Hesperiidae. The whirlabout gets its name from the landing and take off flight patterns of the adult – a circular or vortex or whirling motion. It is resident from the southeastern U.S. and West Indies to eastern Mexico through the tropics down to Argentina. During the warmer North American months, it can sometimes be found as far north as Ohio, Connecticut, and northeast Iowa.

The wingspan is 25–38 mm (0.98–1.50 in). North of the equator, it flies all year and migrates north in late summer and fall.

The larvae feed on grasses mainly at night. Eggs are white and laid one at a time on the host plants.

Read more on Wikipedia · Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderLepidoptera
FamilyHesperiidae
GenusPolites

In Suriname

8Records in Suriname
1969First record
2024Latest record

Where it has been recorded

  • Para3
  • Wanica1
  • Commewijne1
  • Paramaribo1
  • Saramacca1

Districts with at least one record that has coordinates. Shaded districts have records.

Sources & credits

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