Acraea zetes

Last updated

Large spotted acraea
Large spotted acraea (Acraea zetes zetes).jpg
Large spotted acraea (Acraea zetes zetes) mating.jpg
Mating pair of the nominate subspecies
— both images from The Gambia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Acraea
Species:
A. zetes
Binomial name
Acraea zetes
Synonyms
  • Papilio zetesLinnaeus, 1758
  • Acraea (Acraea) zetes
  • Papilio menippeDrury, 1782
  • Telchinia mycenaeaHübner, 1819
  • Acraea jalemaGodart, 1819

Acraea zetes, the large spotted acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae which is native to sub-Saharan Africa.

Contents

Range

It is found in Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, Angola, Namibia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia. [3]

Description

SeitzFaunaAfricanaXIIITaf54, Acraea zetes.jpg
Eltringham1912TransEntSocLondPlate6, 5 Acraea zetes zetes.jpg
Female and male (wing undersides) imagos in Seitz (1900) and the larva (nom. subsp.) in Eltringham (1912)

A. zetes is a common species in Africa, distributed from Sierra Leone to Natal and Abyssinia; it develops several races and forms and is darkest in the north-west, gradually becoming lighter and lighter towards the south and east. Forewing with 2 black spots in the cell, one at its apex, large elongate discal dots in 3 to 6 and 10, rounded free discal dots in 1b and 2 and at least beneath with large yellow marginal spots in 1b to 6. Hindwing in addition to the confluent basal dots with a median dot and distinct discal dots, of which the one in 2 is placed close to the base of the cellule and that in 4 further distad than the rest; the black marginal band broad on both surfaces or at least beneath with light spots.

Subspecies

Biology

The habitat consists of open deciduous forests and woodland savanna.

The larvae feed on Theobroma cacao , Basananthe zanzibaricum , Adenia cisampelloides , Adenia lobata , Barteria acuminata , Phyllobotryum spathulatum , Smeathmannia , Passiflora , Deidama , Tacsonia and Hydnocarpus species

Taxonomy

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


Related Research Articles

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

Acraea acrita, the fiery acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in large parts of Africa.

<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 neobule</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea neobule, the wandering donkey acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa and south-western Arabia.

<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 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 igola</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea igola, the dusky-veined acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found from the Eastern Cape along the coast to KwaZulu-Natal, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, north-eastern Tanzania.

<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 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 rogersi</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea rogersi, the Rogers' large acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae which is native to the African tropics and northern subtropics.

<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>Bematistes tellus</i> Species of butterfly

Bematistes tellus, the orange bematistes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Tanzania.

<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 althoffi</i> Species of butterfly

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.

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

Acraea baxteri is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in 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 pharsalus</i> Species of butterfly

Acraea pharsalus, the east African forest acraea or Pharsalus acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae which is native to the tropics and subtropics of Africa.

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

Acraea parrhasia, the yellow-veined acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae which is native to sub-Saharan Africa.

References

  1. Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae 1, Regnum Animale, 10th edition: 1-824. Holmiae.
  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 2012-05-31.
  4. Aurivillius, [P.O.]C. 1908-1924. In: Seitz, A. Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde Band 13: Abt. 2, Die exotischen Großschmetterlinge, 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 .
  5. Pierre & Bernau, 2014 Classification et Liste Synonymique des Taxons du Genre Acraea pdf