Indian palm bob
This skipper puddles at bird droppings for salts and feeds as a caterpillar inside a rolled leaf shelter on coconut and other ornamental palms.
| Where | Gardens, parks and palm groves |
|---|---|
| Size | 33 to 36 mm wingspan |
| When | January to December |
The Indian palm bob is a brown skipper with pale yellow hyaline spots across the forewing and plain, unmarked hindwings above; below, the wings are greyish brown with buff scaling and well defined black spots.
Caterpillars feed on coconut palm and lady palm, rolling a leaf into a tube for shelter, and the fast flying adults are skittish, visiting flowers and sunning themselves in gardens and parks.
Traits
Habitat
Garden
Colour
Brown
Active
Day
To people
Skittish and quick to fly off when approached; safe to handle or photograph.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Upperside is plain dark blackish brown with no markings, unlike the olive brown upperside of the Indian palm bob, which carries pale yellow spots toward the forewing tip.
Questions
Is the Indian palm bob dangerous to people?
Skittish and quick to fly off when approached; safe to handle or photograph.
When can you see the Indian palm bob?
The Indian palm bob can be seen from January to December, by day.
Plate retouched from a museum specimen photo by Swiss Natural History Collections - SwissNatColl, CC BY 4.0, GBIF Licence
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Butterflies and moths›Skippers›Suastus
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.