Borbo ferruginea, the ferruginous swift, ferrous swift or ferrous skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in southern and south-eastern Africa, in South Africa and from Mozambique to Kenya. In South Africa it is restricted to the lowland forests of KwaZulu-Natal. The habitat consists of coastal forests.

Borbo ferruginea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Borbo
Species:
B. ferruginea
Binomial name
Borbo ferruginea
Synonyms
  • Parnara ferruginea Aurivillius, 1925

Their wingspan is 36–39 mm for males and 42–45 mm for females. Adults are probably on wing year-round, but it is more from October to May in southern Africa.[2]

Subspecies

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  • Borbo ferruginea ferruginea (eastern Kenya, Tanzania)
  • Borbo ferruginea dondo Evans, 1955 (KwaZulu-Natal to southern Mozambique and eastern Zimbabwe)

References

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  1. ^ Borbo at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. ^ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.