Acraea eponina
| Small Orange Acraea | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Acraea |
| Species: | A. eponina |
| Binomial name | |
| Acraea eponina (Cramer, 1780) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Acraea manjaca Boisduval, 1833 | |
The Orange Acraea (Acraea eponina), also called Small Orange Acraea to distinguish it from the larger A. anacreon, is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It is found in tropical Africa and south-western Arabia.
The wingspan is 35–40 mm for males and 36–44 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, but are more common in warmer months.[1]
Natural enemies include the parasitoids Carcelia normula and Charops species and the predacious bugs Afrius figuratus, Rhynocoris bicolor and other Rhynocoris species.
The larvae of ssp. eponina feed on Hibiscus, Sida, Nicotiana, Hermannia, and Triumfetta species. Ssp. manjaca has been reported on Triumfetta rhomboidea, Triumfetta annua, Triumfetta effusa, Triumfetta pilosa and Hermannia species.
Subspecies
- Acraea eponina eponina (Tropical Africa, south-western Arabia)
- Acraea eponina manjaca (Natal, Swaziland, Transvaal, Rhodesia, Mozambique).Now a synonym of Acraea serena
Taxonomy
Acraea eponina is a member of the Acraea bonasia species group see Acraea.
References
- ↑ Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2005.
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