Acraea acara

Acraea acara, commonly known as the acara acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae which is native to East and southern Africa.

Acara acraea
Male
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Acraea
Species:
A. acara
Binomial name
Acraea acara
Hewitson, [1865]
Synonyms
  • Acraea zetes tescea Suffert, 1904
  • Acraea zetes mhondana Suffert, 1904
  • Acraea caffra Felder and Felder, 1865
  • Acraea zetes ukerewensis Le Doux, 1923
  • Acraea zetes sufferti Le Cerf, 1927
  • Acraea zetes acara f. barberina van Son, 1963
  • Acraea zetes sufferti f. melanophanes Le Cerf, 1927

Range and habitat

It is found in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Katanga in the southern DRC, Malawi, Tanzania, and eastern Kenya. In South Africa its range has expanded southwards since 2014, becoming more widespread in the Eastern Cape.[1] The habitat consists of forests and woodland.[2][3]

Description

The wingspan is 55–66 mm for males and 60–72 mm for females.

Biology

Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas, with a peak from November to March. There are multiple generations per year.[4] The larvae feed on Passiflora caerulea, Passiflora edulis, Passiflora incarnata, and Adenia glauca. The spread of the first species, P. caerulea, may have facilitated a range expansion of the butterfly southwards.[1]

Subspecies

There are two subspecies:

  • Acraea acara acara – eastern Kenya, Tanzania, DRC: Shaba, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa: Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape
  • Acraea acara melanophanes Le Cerf, 1927 – northern Namibia

References
  1. Rautenbach, Fanie (23 April 2018). "Lepimap: 646300". ADU Virtual Museum. Animal Demography Unit. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  2. "Afrotropical Butterflies: Nymphalidae - Tribe Acraeini". Archived from the original on 2012-08-10. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  3. Underhill, Les. "#citizenscience". Facebook. Animal Demography Unit. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  4. 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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