Artitropa erinnys

Artitropa erinnys
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Hesperiidae
Genus:	Artitropa
Species:	A. erinnys
Binomial name
Artitropa erinnys (Trimen, 1862) [1]
Synonyms
Pamphila erinnysTrimen, 1862 Artitropa ehlersiKarsch, 1896

Artitropa erinnys, the bush night-fighter, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in South Africa from the East Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, and Transvaal, Zimbabwe and eastern Africa.

The wingspan is 53–57 mm for males and 59–63 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round but are scarce from May to August. ^[2]

The larvae feed on Dracaena hookeriana , Dracaena afromontana , Dracaena angustifolia , Dracaena fragrans and Dracaena steudneri .

Subspecies

• Artitropa erinnys erinnys (southern Mozambique, Eswatini, South Africa: coastal lowland and riverine forest from the eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal coast to Maputaland, spreading to the Limpopo Province)
• Artitropa erinnys comorarumOberthür, 1916 (Comoro Islands: Grand Comore, Anjouan)
• Artitropa erinnys ehlersiKarsch, 1896 (Kenya: Mount Sagala, Teita Hills, Shimba Hills, Tanzania: from the coast inland to Arusha)
• Artitropa erinnys nyasaeRiley, 1925 (eastern Zimbabwe, southern Malawi)
• Artitropa erinnys radiataRiley, 1925 (Kenya)
• Artitropa erinnys vansommereniRiley, 1925 (Kenya: Meru, Nairobi, Ngong)

References

1. Artitropa at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
2. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN   978-1-86872-724-7.