Coeliades forestan

Striped policeman
C. f. forestan on a papaya flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Clade:Euarthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Family:Hesperiidae
Genus:Coeliades
Species: C. forestan
Binomial name
Coeliades forestan
(Stoll, [1782])[1]
Synonyms
  • Papilio forestan Stoll, [1782]
  • Thymele arbogastes Guenee, 1863
  • Coeliades arbogastes
  • Hesperia margarita Butler, 1879

Coeliades forestan, the striped policeman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found from Transkei to Zimbabwe and to Botswana. It is also present on Madagascar.

The wingspan is 45–55 mm for males and 55–64 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round in warmer areas with peaks September to April.[2]

The larvae feed on a wide range of plants, including Parinari curatellifolia, Lonchocarpus capassa, Combretum bracteosum, Combretum apiculatum, Solanum auriculatum, Solanum mauritianum, Millettia sutherlandii, Sphedamnocarpus rhamni, Sphedamnocarpus pruriens and Robinia pseudacacia.

Subspecies

  • Coeliades forestan forestan (Sub-Saharan Africa)
  • Coeliades forestan arbogastes (Guenee, 1863) (Madagascar)

Stamps

The Republic of Chad has issued a stamp showing a Coeliades forestan in 2003.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Coeliades 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.
  3. ↑ Stamps on wnsstamps.ch


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