Tuxentius melaena

Tuxentius melaena, the black pie or dark pied Pierrot, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Africa.

Black pie
Upper and underside of the
nominate subspecies
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Tuxentius
Species:
T. melaena
Binomial name
Tuxentius melaena
(Trimen, 1887)[1]
Synonyms
  • Lycaena melaena Trimen, 1887
  • Castalius melaena
  • Lycaena griqua Trimen, 1887
  • Cupido melas Aurivillius, 1924

The wingspan is 19–24 mm for males and 21–25 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round, but are most common from October to March.[2]

The larvae feed on Ziziphus mucronata and probably other Ziziphus species.

Subspecies

References

  1. Tuxentius 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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