About the Pale Small-Branded Swift
Pelopidas thrax, the pale small-branded swift, millet skipper or white branded swift, is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Greece, western and south-western Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Arabia, most of Africa even semi-arid countries as Burkina Faso, Kashmir (northern Pakistan) and the parts of the Far East. In Greece, it is only known from Samos, Chios, and Rhodes, where it is found at altitudes of sea level to 75 meters.
The ground colour of the fore and hind wings is brown. The upper side has a series of white spots of different sizes. Males have a narrow white scent scale patch on the upper surface of the forewings. The translucent spots are arranged differently from Gegenes nostrodamus and Gegenes pumilio.
The egg is yellowish at first and later becomes salmon-colored. It is flattened, approximately 0.9mm high and 1.5mm in diameter. The surface is covered with about 60 very fine elongated ribs, which take up about two-thirds of the height (calculated from the base). They intersect with horizontal lines. The larvae hatch after eight days.
The caterpillar is up to 35 mm long (L6 stage). The body is light green with a darker... Wikipedia →