Acraea (butterfly)

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Acraea
Acraea acrita male.jpg
Adult male fiery acraea (A. acrita)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Tribe: Acraeini
Genus: Acraea
Fabricius, 1807
Type species
Papilio horta
(Linnaeus, 1764)
Species

Presently about 220, see text

Synonyms

[1]
AlacriaHenning, 1992
AphanopeltisMabille, 1887
AuracraeaHenning, 1993
AuroraHenning, 1992 (non Ragonot 1887: preoccupied)
GnesiaDoubleday, 1848
HyalitesDoubleday, 1848
ParebaDoubleday, 1848
PhanopeltisMabille, 1887
PlanemaDoubleday, 1848
RubraeaHenning, 1992
SolenitesMabille, 1887
StepheniaHenning, 1992
TelchiniaHübner, 1819
(but see text)

Contents

Acraea is a genus of brush-footed butterflies (family Nymphalidae) of the subfamily Heliconiinae. It seems to be highly paraphyletic and has long been used as a "wastebin taxon" to unite about 220 species of anatomically conservative Acraeini. Some phylogenetic studies show that the genus Acraea is monophyletic if Bematistes and Neotropical Actinote are included (see Pierre & Bernaud, 2009). Most species assembled here are restricted to the Afrotropical realm, but some are found in India, Southeast Asia, and Australia. [2]

Biology

Acraea zetes larva, pupae and imago Acraea zetes caterpillar to pupae to butterfly metamorphosis by Nick Hobgood.jpg
Acraea zetes larva, pupae and imago

The eggs are laid in masses; the larvae are rather short, of almost equal thickness throughout, and possessing branched spines on each segment, young larvae group together on a protecting mass of silk; the pupa is slender, with a long abdomen, rather wide and angulated about the insertion of the wings, and suspended by the tail only. A. horta , A. cabira , and A. terpsicore illustrate typical life histories. The food plants of Acraea caterpillars are usually Urticaceae or, like in most Heliconiinae, Passifloraceae. Some feed on other plants, such as Fabaceae, "Flacourtiaceae", or Violaceae. Their preferred species contain cyanogenic glycosides, which make the larvae and adults poisonous to predators. The aposematic coloration of the adults announces this, and some species are mimicked by less noxious butterflies. At least some "Acraea" are able to produce the toxins themselves. [2] Their flight is slow and flapping.

Eltringham1912TransEntSocLondPlate6.jpg

Systematics and taxonomy

That all these species were properly placed in Acraea has never been generally accepted. In 1807, Johan Christian Fabricius established the genus for the garden acraea, described as Papilio horta by Carl Linnaeus in 1764, and its relatives. By and by, an increasing number of species were placed here. As early as 1848, and again in 1887 and the early 1990s, it was attempted to divide the genus into groups of closest relatives, as it was suspected that some "Acraea" might actually be closer to other genera in the tribe Acraeini. [3]

With increasing availability of DNA sequence data, it is confirmed that Acraea as loosely defined does not constitute a monophyletic group. Even before the attempts to split up Acraea in earnest had begun, Jacob Hübner in 1819 suggested to separate species around Acraea serena as Telchinia. This name has been applied to a generally African group whose members usually feed on Urticaceae, and they had already been noted to bear some uncanny resemblances to the American Actinote in anatomical details. Indeed, they seem to be closer relatives of these than of the other butterflies placed in Acraea, which usually feed on Passifloraceae and are at least in part quite close relatives of the African genus Bematistes . Those closest to that genus might warrant separation as Rubraea or Stephenia. [3]

But while several informal species groups have been established, it is not clear which of these are monophyletic and how to split the apparently still paraphyletic genus further. The placement of the garden acraea—the type species—and hence which of the any further subdivisions will get to bear the name Acraea, remains unresolved. As it is traditionally included in the former A. terpsicore group (now A. serena group) and its caterpillars, while polyphagous, do not feed on Urticaceae, it may be that the separation of Telchinia is unwarranted and other proposed genera might be resurrected instead. [1]

There was one major misidentification which still causes confusion today. Acraea terpsicore, described as Papilio terpsicore by Linnaeus in 1758, was held to be the senior synonym of A. serena, described by Fabricius as Papilio serena in 1775. Hence, the former name was commonly used for that African species. But as it turned out, Linnaeus had actually described an Indian species—the well-known tawny coaster. Fabricius in 1793 believed it was new to science and described it again, as Papilio violae. Consequently, it had been long known as A. violae. It was also recognized that Fabricius' little-studied P. serena was none other than the orange acraea. For this, the name A. eponina, from the Papilio eponina established in the 1780 issue of Pieter Cramer's De uitlandsche Kapellen, had been used all the time. [4] Another instance of the confusion rife in this genus is exemplified by Boisduval's Acraea manjaca .

These developments[ which? ] come from two papers written by J. Pierre and D. Bernaud. [5] [6]

Species

Since the proposed phylogenetic sequence of the species groups is almost certainly incorrect for a large part, the groups are simply listed alphabetically. [7]

J. Pierre & D. Bernaud have published a complete systematic and synonymic list. [8]

[4]

Small greasy (A. andromacha) Acraea andromacha 2.jpg
Small greasy (A. andromacha)

Acraea acrita species group

Acraea andromacha species group (close to part of A. terpsicore group?)

Acraea anemosa species group

Acraea aureola species group

Yellow-banded acraea (A. cabira) Yellow-banded Acraea 19 07 2010.JPG
Yellow-banded acraea (A. cabira)

Acraea bonasia species group (close to A. oberthuri and A. rahira groups? Paraphyletic?)

Acraea caecilia species group (close to A. cepheus and A. egina groups?)

Natal legionnaires (A. natalica) Acraea natalica, m (bo) & w, Skrikfontein, d.jpg
Natal legionnaires (A. natalica)
Acraea ranavalona mating, Anjajavy Forest, Madagascar Acraea butterfly (Acraea ranavalona) mating.jpg
Acraea ranavalona mating, Anjajavy Forest, Madagascar

Acraea cepheus species group (close to A. caecilia and A. egina groups?)

Tawny coster (hrinchdd'aa), Acraea violae Tawny Coster(hrinchdd'aa)DSC 0165.JPG
Tawny coster (হরিনছড়া), Acraea violae
Acraea grosvenori Bwindi2.jpg
Acraea grosvenori

Acraea circeis species group (close to A. masamba)

Common acraea (A. encedon) Acraea encedon HotMarina 2012-01-21.jpg
Common acraea (A. encedon)

Acraea egina species group (close to A. caecilia and A. cepheus groups?)

Acraea encedon species group (close to A. jodutta and A. pharsalus groups?) – common acraea or white-barred acraea or encedon acraea

Acraea issoria species group (a rather distinct lineage?)

Jodutta legionnaire Acraea jodutta Jodutta acraea (Acraea jodutta) male Sao Tome.jpg
Jodutta legionnaire Acraea jodutta

Acraea jodutta species group (close to A. encedon and A. pharsalus groups?)

Dusky-veined acraea (A. dammii) Acraea igola.jpg
Dusky-veined acraea (A. dammii)

Acraea masamba species group (close to A. circeis?)

Acraea oberthuri species group (close to A. bonasia group?)

Acraea pentapolis species group (close to A. circeis and A. masamba groups?)

Acraea pharsalus species group (close to A. encedon and A. jodhutta groups?)

Familiar legionnaire (A. pharsalus) Ward's glorious acraea (Acraea pharsalus).jpg
Familiar legionnaire (A. pharsalus)

Acraea rahira species group (close to A. bonasia group?)

Garden acraea (A. horta, the type species of the genus) Garden Acraea (Acraea horta) (32172511623).jpg
Garden acraea (A. horta, the type species of the genus)
Garden acraea (A. horta) pupa (left) and caterpillar Acraea horta00.jpg
Garden acraea (A. horta) pupa (left) and caterpillar

Acraea satis species group

A. terpsicore group

Acraea terpsicore species group (formerly A. violae group)

Tawny costers (A. terpsicore) mating Tawny Coster (Acraea terpsicore) mating in Narshapur, AP W IMG 0912.jpg
Tawny costers (A. terpsicore) mating

Acraea zetes species group (might include part of A. serena group; a very distinct lineage?)

Species group undetermined

Some other species formerly in Acraea have now been definitely assigned to other genera, e.g. Bematistes .

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 See references in Haaramo (2007)
  2. 1 2 Silva-Brandão et al. (2008)
  3. 1 2 Pitkin & Jenkins (2004), Silva-Brandão et al. (2008). See also references in Haaramo (2007).
  4. 1 2 Silva-Brandão et al. (2008); see also references in Haaramo (2007)
  5. ↑ "Acraea terpiscore" (PDF). Acraea.com. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "Acraea serena" (PDF). Acraea.com. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  7. ↑ Woodhall (2005)
  8. ↑ "CLASSIFICATION ET LISTE SYNONYMIQUE DES TAXONS DU GENRE ACRAEA" (PDF). Acraea.com. Retrieved 15 March 2022.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heliconiinae</span> Subfamily of butterfly family Nymphalidae

The Heliconiinae, commonly called heliconians or longwings, are a subfamily of the brush-footed butterflies. They can be divided into 45–50 genera and were sometimes treated as a separate family Heliconiidae within the Papilionoidea. The colouration is predominantly reddish and black, and though of varying wing shape, the forewings are always elongated tipwards, hence the common name.

<i>Acraea terpsicore</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea terpsicore, the tawny coster, is a small, 53–64 millimetres (2.1–2.5 in), leathery-winged butterfly common in grassland and scrub habitats. It belongs to the Nymphalidae or brush-footed butterfly family. It has a weak fluttery flight. It is avoided by most insect predators. This species and the yellow coster are the only two Indian representatives of the predominantly African tribe Acraeini. It is found in India, Sri Lanka, Maldives to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Singapore, and recently Australia

<i>Acraea eponina</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea eponina, the orange acraea or small orange acraea to distinguish it from the larger A. anacreon, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in tropical Africa and south-western Arabia.

<i>Acraea encedon</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea encedon, the common acraea, white-barred acraea or encedon acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa and south-western Arabia. It is one of the species of Acraea sometimes separated in Telchinia.

<i>Acraea cabira</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea cabira, the yellow-banded acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae that is native to Africa.

<i>Acraea serena</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea serena, the dancing acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found throughout Africa south of the Sahara. It is the most common of the Acraea, from Dakar to Fort-Dauphin and from Yemen to the Cape.

Acraea kuekenthali is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Shaba).

<i>Acraea endoscota</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea endoscota, the Le Doux's glassy acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, northern Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, south-western Ethiopia, western Kenya and western Tanzania.

Acraea lapidorum is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Angola.

<i>Bematistes epaea</i> Species of butterfly

Bematistes epaea, the common bematistes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.

<i>Acraea acerata</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea acerata, the falls acraea or small yellow-banded acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It has an extensive range in sub-Saharan Africa.

<i>Acraea alicia</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea alicia is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.

<i>Acraea bonasia</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea bonasia, the bonasia acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae which is native to the African tropics and subtropics.

Acraea burgessi is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Uganda (Kigezi) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

<i>Acraea necoda</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea necoda is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found on the central and northern plateau in Ethiopia.

References

Further reading

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