Trapezites petalia (Black-ringed Ochre)
Other Common Names
Common White-spot Skipper
Notes
I first saw this species in late October 2004, in the Ingleburn Reserve. The first one was feeding on a Pimelea flower, and I was able to get a few photos before it flew off. A bit later I saw another one, which appeared to be a female looking for a site to lay eggs. It was fluttering slowly around some coarse grasses, but never landed long enough for me to get any pictures; this has become the norm when I’ve attempted to get shots of petalia females.
The following weekend I saw this species a few times, in fact it was the most common of the larger skippers to be found in the Ingleburn Reserve at the time. That must have been a bumper season for them, as I hardly saw any of these Skippers in the next decade.
Sightings
Ingleburn Reserve – October, November 2004; March 2005, March 2021
Glenbrook, lower Blue Mountains – September 2005
Karawatha Forest, Brisbane – November 2008
Spring Mountain – November 2008