| Broad-bordered acraea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male imago, f. lobemba | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Acraea |
| Species: | A. anemosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Acraea anemosa | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Acraea anemosa, the broad-bordered acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae which is native to southern Africa and coastal East Africa.
It is found in Zululand, Eswatini, Transvaal, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, southern Zaire (Shaba), Namibia, Angola, Tanzania, the coast of eastern Kenya and southern Somalia.
It is a variable species with a number of described colour morphs including f. anemosa, f. arctitincta, f. mosana, f. welwitschii, f. nivea, f. alboradiata and f. lobemba. The wingspan is 50–55 mm for males and 57–64 mm for females.
A. anemosa Hew. Forewing above ochre-yellow to orange-yellow, at the base deep black to vein 2, the black colour sharply defined, at the distal margin with sharply defined black apical spot about 4 mm. in breadth and fine marginal line; a small median dot; discal dots 4 to 6 large and connected, 1b to 3 usually small or absent, the dot in 1b placed somewhat nearer to the distal margin than that in 2; hindwing above at the base and at the distal margin broadly black, and with a reddish yellow, unspotted median band. Forewing beneath coloured and marked as above; hindwing at the base and in the marginal band dotted with white; median band reddish white, proximally and distally with large red spots, which meet at the inner margin. Damaraland, Transvaal, Rhodesia; Portuguese, German and British East Africa.
A. welwitschi so nearly approaches anemosa that it seems to me [Aurivillius] to be scarcely an independent species. The sole difference consists in the forewing having a dark marginal band extending from the apex to the hinder angle and becoming gradually narrower posteriorly. In some forms this band is so narrow behind vein 4 that it is little broader than the marginal line in anemosa. Such forms can only be distinguished from by having the hindwing above white in the middle.
Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas with a peak from September to May in southern Africa. In cooler areas, adults can only be found from September to May. [5]
The larvae feed on Adenia venenata .
Acraea anemosa is a member of the Acraea anemosa species group. The clade members are:
Classification of Acraea by Henning, Henning & Williams, Pierre. J. & Bernaud
Acraea acrita, the fiery acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in large parts of Africa.
Acraea natalica, the Natal acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, which is native to East and southern Africa.
Acraea caldarena, the black tip acraea or black-tipped acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern and southeastern Africa.
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Acraea nohara, the light red acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found from KwaZulu-Natal north through Zimbabwe to Kenya.
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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.
Acraea pseudolycia is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae, which is native to East Africa and Africa's southern subtropics.
Acraea turna is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found on Madagascar.
Acraea zetes, the large spotted acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae which is native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Acraea lualabae is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Shaba).
Acraea periphanes is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae which is native to the southern subtropics of Africa.
Acraea mirabilis, the marvelous acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Somalia, south-eastern Ethiopia and north-eastern Kenya.
Acraea althoffi, the Althoff's acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Cameroon, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
Acraea baxteri is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.
Acraea iturina, the Ituri glassy acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Nigeria, from Cameroon to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
Acraea jodutta, the jodutta acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Acraea peneleos, the Peneleos acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae, which is native to the tropics and northern subtropics of sub-Saharan Africa.
Acraea zitja is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found on Madagascar.
Acraea penelope, the Penelope acraea or Penelope's acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. The habitat consists of sub-montane forests.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
