• Narrow distribution. South and Southeast Asia, Oceania. On banana, and Musa species, bamboo, coconut and other palms.
• Eggs on underside of the leaves; caterpillars pale green with shiny black heads; adults up to 8 cm, brown with three yellow dots on forewings.
• Damage to 60% leaf area recorded, and if it occurs at fruiting, bunch yields likely to be lower.
• Natural enemies: wasp parasitoid.
• Cultural control: handpick.
• Chemical control: PDPs - chillies, neem, pyrethrum, derris (plus soap); or, if grown for sale, spinosad, or Bt, on young caterpillars, to preserve the natural enemies.

Banana skipper, banana leaf roller, hesperiid butterfly

Erionota thrax; there are three subspecies: Erionota thrax thrax in Papua New Guinea, Erionota thrax mindana in the Philippines, and Erionota thrax basdrubal in the northern Moluccas - the Moluccas are islands between East Timor, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya. Another very similar species Erionota torus -mostly separated on male genitalia - is present in South and Southeast Asia. It is a member of the Hesperiidae.