Amauris echeria

Amauris echeria, the chief, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern Africa.

Chief
Both in Kakamega Forest, Kenya
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Amauris
Species:
A. echeria
Binomial name
Amauris echeria
(Stoll, [1790])
Synonyms
  • Papilio echeria Stoll, [1790]
  • Amauris echerioides Weistman, 1913
  • Amauris echeria imatongensis Talbot, 1941
  • Amauris echeria jacksoni f. luxuriosa Talbot, 1940
  • Amauris echeria vaal Talbot, 1940
  • Danais vaillantiana Godart, 1819
  • Amauris lobengula abessinica Schmidt, 1921
  • Amauris fernandina Schultze, 1914
  • Amauris jacksoni Sharpe, 1892
  • Amauris lobengula katangae Neave, 1910
  • Nebroda lobengula Sharpe, 1890
  • Amauris lobengula mongallensis Carpenter, 1928
  • Amauris lobengula septentrionis Poulton, 1924
  • Amauris steckeri Kheil, 1890
  • Amauris whytei Butler, 1894

The wingspan is 55–65 mm for males and 63–70 for females. Adults are on wing year round (with peaks in summer and autumn).[1]

The larvae feed on Tylophora anomala, Tylophora stolzii, Cynanchum chirindense, Gymnema (including Gymnema sylvestre), Marsdenia (including Marsdenia angolensis and Marsdenia racemosa) and Secamone (including Secamone africana and Secamone parviflora).[2]

Subspecies

A. e. katangae Neave, 1910
  • A. e. echeria – Cape to Natal, Zululand, Transvaal
  • A. e. abessinica Schmidt, 1921 – Eritrea, northern Ethiopia
  • A. e. chyuluensis van Someren, 1939 – south-eastern Kenya (Chyulu, Sagala, Emali, Teita)
  • A. e. contracta Talbot, 1940 – western Kenya, Kitale
  • A. e. fernandina Schultze, 1914 – Fernando Póo (Macías Nguema Island)
  • A. e. jacksoni Sharpe, 1892 – Kenya west of the Rift Valley
  • A. e. katangae Neave, 1910 – southern Zaire (southern Shaba), Zambia
  • A. e. kikuyu Talbot, 1940 – eastern Kenya (Katamayu to Meru, Nyambeni)
  • A. e. lobengula (Sharpe, 1890) – Rhodesia, southern Mozambique, southern Malawi (Mount Mlanje)
  • A. e. meruensis Talbot, 1940 – northern Tanzania (Arusha, Moshi, Nogorongoro)
  • A. e. mongallensis Carpenter, 1928 – southern Sudan, northern Uganda
  • A. e. mpala Talbot, 1940 – highlands of Zaire
  • A. e. occidentalis Schmidt, 1921 – Cameroon
  • A. e. septentrionis Poulton, 1924 – northern Kenya (Marsabit, Nyiro, Kulal)
  • A. e. serica Talbot, 1940 – southern Tanzania, northern Malawi
  • A. e. steckeri Kheil, 1890 – southern Ethiopia, western Ethiopia, southern Sudan
  • A. e. terrena Talbot, 1940 – western Uganda, eastern Zaire, north-western Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi
  • A. e. whytei Butler, 1894 – southern Malawi (Zomba Plateau)

References

  1. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
  2. "Amauris Hübner, 1816" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms


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