Acraea rahira

Last updated

Marsh acraea
MabilleGrandidierHistoirePlate11.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Acraea
Species:
A. rahira
Binomial name
Acraea rahira
Boisduval, 1833 [1]
Synonyms
  • Hyalites rahira(Boisduval, 1833)
  • Telchinia rahira(Boisduval, 1833)
  • Acraea rahira uasingishuensisStoneham, 1943
  • Acraea (Actinote) rahira
  • Acraea rahira f. melanoradiataStoneham, 1943
  • Acraea rahira f. crippsiStoneham, 1943

Acraea rahira, the marsh acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern Africa. In South Africa it is found from the Western Cape along the coast to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, then inland to Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West.

Contents

Hyalites rahira rahira (4804512680).jpg

Description

The wingspan is 35–40 mm for males and 40–50 mm for females. A. rahira Bdv. (55 g). Both wings above light grey-yellow (male) or light grey (female); the veins in the distal part edged with black and at the distal margin widened into long triangular or rounded spots; basal and discal dots free and distinct; discal dots 1 b to 5 on the hindwing placed in an almost straight line and discal dots 6 and 7 forming nearly a right angle with them. The under surface is similar to the upper, only somewhat lighter and with reddish streaks in 1 b, 1 c and the cell between the basal and discal dots; distally to the discal dots runs in la to 5 a whitish transverse band about 2 mm. in breadth, which is basally bounded by a dark line; this line terminates at vein 5 or 6 and is more or less indicated on the upper surface also; it evidently corresponds to the proximal boundary of the marginal band; the latter scarcely differs from the ground-colour or has some reddish streaks on the interneural folds; at the distal margin the ground-colour is even lighter yellow, without, however, forming distinct marginal spots, the proximal boundary of the spots being entirely absent or only very indistinct. - Larva blackish with the thoracic legs yellow, a yellow lateral line and a white dorsal line; the spines are short, yellow, placed in yellow spots; head also yellow; lives on Erigeron. Pupa whitish with black markings. This very distinct species is fond of damp and marshy places and occurs in the whole of South Africa to Angola and Rhodesia. [2]

Subspecies

Biology

Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas, with a peak from September to April. In cooler areas it is only found in the hot summer months. [3] The larvae feed on Persicaria attenuata africana and Conyza canadensis .

Taxonomy

It is a member of the Acraea rahira species group - but see also Pierre & Bernaud, 2014 [4]

Related Research Articles

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

Acraea cepheus, the Cepheus acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Africa, from Nigeria and Angola to Uganda, western Tanzania and Zambia.

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

Acraea natalica, the Natal acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, which is native to East and southern Africa.

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

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.

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

Acraea axina, the little acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in south-west Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Transvaal, Botswana, and Malawi.

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

Acraea aglaonice, the clear-spotted acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in KwaZulu-Natal, Mozambique, Transvaal, Zimbabwe and Botswana.

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

Acraea anemosa, the broad-bordered acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae which is native to southern Africa and coastal East Africa.

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

Acraea nohara, the light red acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found from KwaZulu-Natal north through Zimbabwe to Kenya.

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

Acraea anacreon, the (large) orange acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Kwazulu-Natal and Transvaal and from Angola to Zimbabwe and to Kenya. Elsewhere in Africa and adjacent regions, "orange acraea" refers to the smaller A. eponina.

<i>Pseudacraea eurytus</i> Species of butterfly

Pseudacraea eurytus, the false wanderer, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Africa.

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

Acraea chilo is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

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

Acraea braesia is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Somalia, north-eastern Uganda, eastern and northern Kenya and north-eastern Tanzania.

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

Acraea leucopyga is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Zambia, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Shaba), Tanzania and Uganda.

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

Acraea mirabilis, the marvelous acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Somalia, south-eastern Ethiopia and north-eastern Kenya.

<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 jodutta</i> Species of butterfly

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

Acraea mirifica is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Angola, northern Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Lualaba).

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

Acraea zitja is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found on Madagascar.

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

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.

References

  1. ↑ Boisduval, J.B.A. 1833. Mémoire sur les Lépidoptères de Madagascar, Bourbon et Maurice. Nouvelles Annales du Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle. Paris 2: 149-270.
  2. ↑ 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.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  3. ↑ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN   978-1-86872-724-7.
  4. ↑ Pierre & Bernau, 2014 Classification et Liste Synonymique des Taxons du Genre Acraea pdf


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.