Staff sergeant

Staff Sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of several countries. It is also a police rank in some police services.

History of title

In origin certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervisory, or other specialist duties as part of the staff of a British army regiment. As such they held seniority over sergeants who were members of a battalion or company, and were paid correspondingly increased wages. Their seniority was indicated by a crown worn above the three sergeants' stripes on their uniform rank markings.

National variations

Australia

In the Australian Army and Cadets, the rank of staff sergeant is being phased out. It was usually held by the company quartermaster sergeant or the holders of other administrative roles. Staff sergeants are always addressed as "Staff Sergeant" or "Staff", never as "Sergeant" as it degrades their rank. "Chief" is another nickname though this is only used for the company chief clerk (in some instances the chief clerk role can be filled by another non-commissioned rank (but not warrant officer) and still be referred to as "Chief"). A staff sergeant ranks above sergeant and below warrant officer class 2.

Athyma selenophora

The Staff Sergeant (Athyma selenophora) is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in tropical and subtropical Asia.

Description

The male upperside is black with a forewing that has a discoidal streak deep red, twice divided, with the apical portion dusky white. Three elongate oval white spots appear in the interspaces beyond, forming a distinct white band, variable in width, from dorsum to interspace 3.

The Staff Sergeant features an obscure inner subterminal line of transverse whitish marks, and another outer sub terminal pale line that's even more obscure. The hind wing has a broad white discal band of the fore wing continued across to vein 1, a postdiscal narrow diffuse pale macular band, and a subterminal pale line; abdominal fold dusky grey ; cilia of both fore and hind wings black, alternated with white.

The underside is bright chestnut-red with the markings as on the upperside but all white, on the terminal portions of the wings diffuse. discoidal streak in fore wing white, diffuse, more broadly divided ; interspace 8 white at base, with a dark chestnut-red loop below it in interspace 7 crossing into the cellular area; very dark postdiscal blotches in interspaces 1a, 1 to 3 on fore wing; and a series of very dark chestnut-red marks between discal and postdiseal bands on the hind wing; dorsal margin of hind wing broadly blue, Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen very dark brown ; beneath, the palpi, thorax and abdomen white faintly tinged with blue.