Celaenorrhinus is a genus of skipper butterflies which are commonly termed sprites. An alternate name is flats, for their habit of holding their wings flat when resting, but this is also used for related genera. They belong to the spread-winged skipper subfamily (Pyrginae), and therein are the type genus of tribe Celaenorrhini.
Celaenorrhinus species are found in most tropical regions. However, rather than a monophyletic genus the group appears to be a paraphyletic assemblage, and will probably be split up in the future.
Species
The Africa species group
Celaenorrhinus ambra Evans, 1937
Celaenorrhinus ankasa Larsen & Miller, 2005
Celaenorrhinus aureus Collins & Larsen, 2005
Celaenorrhinus bakolo Miller, 1964
Celaenorrhinus beni Bethune-Baker, 1908
Celaenorrhinus bettoni Butler, 1902
Celaenorrhinus boadicea (Hewitson, 1877)
Celaenorrhinus chrysoglossa (Mabille, 1891)
Celaenorrhinus cordeironis Kielland, 1992
Celaenorrhinus dargei Berger, 1976
Celaenorrhinus galenus (Fabricius, 1793)
Celaenorrhinus handmani Collins & Congdon, 1998
Celaenorrhinus hecqui Berger, 1976
Celaenorrhinus homeyeri (Plötz, 1880)
Celaenorrhinus humbloti (Mabille, 1884)
Celaenorrhinus illustris (Mabille, 1891)
Celaenorrhinus illustroides Miller, 1971
Celaenorrhinus intermixtus Aurivillius, 1896
Celaenorrhinus kasai Evans, 1956
Celaenorrhinus kimboza Evans, 1949
Celaenorrhinus kivuensis Joicey & Talbot, 1921
Celaenorrhinus leona Berger, 1975
Celaenorrhinus lourentis de Jong, 1976
Celaenorrhinus macrostictus Holland, 1893
Celaenorrhinus meditrina (Hewitson, 1877)
Celaenorrhinus milleri Collins & Larsen, 2003
Celaenorrhinus mokeezi (Wallengren, 1857)
Celaenorrhinus nigropunctata Bethune-Baker, 1908
Celaenorrhinus nimba Collins & Larsen, 2000
Celaenorrhinus ovalis Evans, 1937
Celaenorrhinus perlustris Rebel, 1914
Celaenorrhinus plagiatus Berger, 1976
Celaenorrhinus pooanus Aurivillius, 1910
Celaenorrhinus proxima (Mabille, 1877)
Celaenorrhinus rubeho Kielland, 1990
Celaenorrhinus rutilans (Mabille, 1877)
Celaenorrhinus sagamase Collins & Larsen, 2005
Celaenorrhinus sanjeensis Kielland, 1990
Celaenorrhinus selysi Berger, 1955
Celaenorrhinus suzannae Berger, 1976
Celaenorrhinus toro Evans, 1937
Celaenorrhinus uluguru Kielland, 1990
Celaenorrhinus zanqua Evans, 1937
The Asia species group
Celaenorrhinus aspersa Leech, 1891
Celaenorrhinus maculosa (C. & R. Felder, [1867])
Celaenorrhinus inexspectus Devyatkin, 2000
Celaenorrhinus phuongi Devyatkin, 2001
Celaenorrhinus incestus Devyatkin, 2000
Celaenorrhinus major Hsu, 1990
Celaenorrhinus kuznetsovi Devyatkin, 2000
Celaenorrhinus yaojiani Huang & Wu, 2003
Celaenorrhinus oscula Evans, 1949
Celaenorrhinus consanguinea Leech, 1891
Celaenorrhinus ratna Fruhstorfer, 1909
Celaenorrhinus pulomaya (Moore, [1866])
Celaenorrhinus horishanus Shirôzu, 1963
Celaenorrhinus pero de Nicéville, 1889
Celaenorrhinus choui Gu, 1994
Celaenorrhinus ruficornis (Mabille, 1878)
Celaenorrhinus ambareesa (Moore, [1866])
Celaenorrhinus vietnamicus Devyatkin, 1998
Celaenorrhinus spilothyrus (Felder, 1868)
Celaenorrhinus sumitra (Moore, [1866])
Celaenorrhinus pyrrha de Nicéville, 1889
Celaenorrhinus pahangensis Naylor, 1962
Celaenorrhinus leucocera (Kollar, [1844])
Celaenorrhinus putra (Moore, [1866])
Celaenorrhinus munda Moore, 1884
Celaenorrhinus nigricans (de Nicéville, 1885)
Celaenorrhinus asmara (Butler, [1879])
Celaenorrhinus inaequalis Elwes & Edwards, 1897
Celaenorrhinus aurivittata (Moore, [1879])
Celaenorrhinus cameroni (Distant, 1882)
Celaenorrhinus ficulnea (Hewitson, 1868)
Celaenorrhinus ladana (Butler, 1870)
Celaenorrhinus patula de Nicéville, 1889
Celaenorrhinus tibetana (Mabille, 1876)
Celaenorrhinus andamanicus (Wood-Mason & de Nicéville, 1881)
The following is a description of the genus from an old work and may not account for more recent taxonomic changes.
Forewing, costa slightly arched, apex rather acute, outer margin convex, inner margin straight; costal nervure terminating opposite the apex of the discoidal cell, first, second, and third subcostal nervules with their bases almost equidistant, fourth subcostal with its base half as near to the base of the third subcostal as that vein is to the second, terminating at the apex of the wing, terminal portion of subcostal nervure. or fifth subcostal nervule with its base almost touching that of the fourth, terminating on the outer margin far below the apex of the wing; discoidal cell long, narrow; upper disco-cellular nervule straight, strongly outwardly oblique, very short; middle and lower disco-cellular nervules almost in the same straight line (the lower a little concave), the lower a little longer than the upper, both veins taken together strongly inwardly oblique; second median nervule arising some little distance before the lower end of the cell, first median nervule arising much nearer to the base of the wing than to the point where the second median is given off; submedian nervure slightly recurved; internal nervure short and quickly running into the submedian nervure, with which it entirely anastomoses. Hindwing, costa strongly arched at base then straight to apex, which latter is somewhat acute in the male, rounded in the female, outer margin rounded, inner margin convex; costal nervure almost straight, terminating just before the apex of the wing; first subcostal nervule originating some distance before the apex of the cell; upper disco-cellular nervule straight, very slightly outwardly oblique; lower disco-cellular also slightly outwardly oblique, at first concave, then straight, a little longer than the upper disco-cellular; discoidal nervule very fine, straight, arising at the point of junction of the disco-cellular nervules; second median nervule arising just before the lower end of the cell, first median arising much nearer the lower end of the cell than the base of the wing; submedian and internal nervures straight. Type: the Papilio eligius of Cramer.
This diagnosis has been made from bleached wings of both sexes of the "Hesperia" leucocera of Kollar, from Simla, and of the "Papilio" eligius of Cramer from the Amazons, for the specimens of which latter I am indebted to Dr. O. Staudinger. All the species of the genus settle with wide outspread wings, which at once distinguishes them in life from the genus Notocrypta, mihi, the species of which rest with wings folded upright over the back. C. leucocera in the Western Himalayas is markedly crepuscular, I have seen specimens over and over again flying up and down a short distance of the bed of the Simla river with immense rapidity, so fast that the eye can hardly follow them, settling on a leaf for a second and then flying off again, long after the sun has set. All that are known to me have the hindwing more or less spotted. C. eligius, Cramer, was described from Surinam in South America, and Felder states that he has received a specimen from Venezuela.
