Acraea baxteri

Acraea baxteri
Figure 7
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Acraea
Species:	A. baxteri
Binomial name
Acraea baxteri Sharpe, 1902 [1] [2]
Synonyms
Acraea (Actinote) baxteri Acraea fuelleborniThurau, 1903 Acraea baxteri subsquamia f. luteaCarpenter and Jackson, 1950 Acraea fuelleborni var. subsquamiaThurau, 1903

Acraea baxteri is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia. ^[3]

Description

For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

A. baxteri E. Sharpe (54 a). Forewing entirely without black dots, in the basal part yellow-red to reddish as far as the apex of the cell and the middle of cellule 2, in the apical part blackish with three whitish, semitransparent spots in 4 to 6. The discal dots of the hindwing are all present, almost touch one another and stand in a curved row, which runs close to the apex of the cell; hindwing above black as far as the discal dots. Distal half yellow-red with narrow, unspotted, black marginal band; beneath in the basal part as far as the discal dots coffee-brown with distinct black dots, then reddish white and at the distal margin with rust-brown marginal band 3 mm. in breadth and black fringes. . Nyassaland, German and British East Africa. - ab.fuelleborni Thur. has the light subapical spots of the fore wing larger and the marginal band on the upperside of the hindwing about 2 mm. in breadth. Nyassaland. In ab. subsquamia Thur. the wings are more densely scaled and the red colour on the upperside of the hindwing extends nearly to the base of cellules 4 to 6. Usambara. ^[4]

Subspecies

• Acraea baxteri baxteri (southern Tanzania, northern Malawi, Zambia)
• Acraea baxteri oldeaniKielland, 1990 (northern Tanzania)
• Acraea baxteri philosLe Cerf, 1933 (north-eastern Uganda, Kenya)
• Acraea baxteri subsquamiaThurau, 1903 (north-eastern Tanzania)

Biology

The habitat consists of montane forests.

The larvae feed on Urera species.

Taxonomy

It is a member of the Acraea jodutta species group - but see also Pierre & Bernaud, 2014 ^[5]

References

1. Sharpe, E.M. 1902 Descriptions of three new butterflies from East Africa. Entomologist 35: 40-41.
2. "Acraea Fabricius, 1807" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
3. "Afrotropical Butterflies: Nymphalidae - Tribe Acraeini". Archived from the original on 2012-08-10. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
4. Aurivillius, [P.O.]C. 1908-1924. In: Seitz, A. Die Grosschmetterlinge der Erde Band 13: Abt. 2, Die exotischen Grosschmetterlinge, Die afrikanischen Tagfalter, 1925, 613 Seiten, 80 Tafeln (The Macrolepidoptera of the World 13).Alfred Kernen Verlag, Stuttgart. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
5. Pierre & Bernau, 2014 Classification et Liste Synonymique des Taxons du Genre Acraea pdf Archived 2014-11-12 at the Wayback Machine