Spialia mafa

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Mafa sandman
Mafa Sandman Spialia mafa.jpg
In Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Spialia
Species:
S. mafa
Binomial name
Spialia mafa
(Trimen, 1870) [1]
Synonyms
  • Pyrgus mafaTrimen, 1870
  • Hesperia oberthuriAurivillius, 1925
  • Spialia aurivilliiShepard, 1935

Spialia mafa, the Mafa grizzled skipper or Mafa sandman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in south-western Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal, Botswana, Zimbabwe and from the Cape in South Africa to Sudan and southern Arabia.

Contents

These skippers are dark brown with white spots and both sides of the wings. [2]

Wingspan is from 22–26 mm. [2]

Flight period is year-round but peaks from September to April. [2]

The larvae feed on Hermannia , Pavonia and Hibiscus species (including Hibiscus aethiopicus ).

Subspecies

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References

  1. ↑ Spialia at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. 1 2 3 Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN   978-1-86872-724-7.


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