About Spialia diomus ferax (Wallengren, 1863)
Spialia diomus, commonly called the common sandman or Diomus grizzled skipper, is a butterfly species belonging to the family Hesperiidae. This species is native to tropical Africa and south-western Arabia. Male individuals have a wingspan ranging from 27 to 31 mm, while female individuals have a wingspan of 29 to 33 mm. Adult Spialia diomus are active on wing year-round in warmer regions. In South Africa, the species is most common during warmer months. In cooler regions, adults are on wing from August to April. The larvae of this species feed on plant species from the genera Hibiscus (including Hibiscus aethiopicus), Sida, Pavonia (including Pavonia burchellii), Waltheria and Hermannia (including Hermannia diffusa, Hermannia incana, Hermannia comosa, Hermannia depressa and Hermannia cuneifolia).
