Dira swanepoeli

Swanepoel's widow
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Dira
Species: D. swanepoeli
Binomial name
Dira swanepoeli
(van Son, 1939)
Synonyms
  • Leptoneura swanepoeli van Son, 1939

Dira swanepoeli, or Swanepoel's widow, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in the southern slopes of the Blouberg Range in Limpopo, South Africa.[1]

The wingspan is 58–65 mm for males and 60–68 mm for females. Adults are on wing from late February to early March. There is one generation per year.[2]

The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Eragrostis aspera, Ehrharta erecta and Pennisetum clandestinum.

Subspecies

  • Dira swanepoeli swanepoeli (northern Transvaal)
  • Dira swanepoeli isolata van Son, 1955 (Blouberg Range in northern Transvaal)

References

  1. ↑ "Dira Hübner, [1819]" 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.


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