Acraea Natalica

''Acraea natalica'', the Natal acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, which is native to East and southern Africa.

Range

It is found from KwaZulu-Natal to Zimbabwe and in Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, southern DRC ( Katanga), Tanzania and eastern Kenya.

Description

left, 200px, Male imago in Seitz (1925)

The wingspan is 55–65 mm. Adults are on wing year round, with a strong peak in late summer in southern Africa.

''A. natalica'' Bdv. (55 f) varies greatly in size, but is on an average larger than the following species n its subgroup having an expanse of 46 to 80 mm. The ground-colour of the wings above is reddish to orange-yellow or brown- yellow and occasionally in the females on the hindwing much darkened, dark red-brown; both wings at the base blackish to about vein 2; the forewing with apical spot 4 to 5 mm. in breadth and black fringes, sometimes also with the veins narrowly black; a basal dot in the cell and in 1b at the outer edge of the black basal spot; discal dots 4 to 6, 9 and 10 united into a transverse streak placed almost vertically to the costal margin; submarginal dots in 1b to 3; hindwing with unspotted or indistinctly spotted black marginal band 4 to 5 mm. in breadth, which in the male is sharply defined, but in the female sometimes shades into the darkened ground-colour without sharp delimitation. Wings beneath lighter, not darkened at the base; forewing without dark apical spot; hind wing with bright red spots between the basal dots and between the discal dots and the marginal band at least in 1b to 3; the marginal band with large yellow marginal spots and always sharply defined proximally. South and East Africa to Angola, southern Congo and British East Africa.
Larva light yellow with white lateral line, white, black-edged dorsal line and a black streak on each side. Pupa yellowish white with black markings.
* ''umbrata'' Suff. differs in having on the fore wing immediately behind discal spots 4 to 6 a broad dark grey, somewhat transparent transverse band, extending from the costal margin to vein 3 and distally dentate at the veins; between this band and the dark apical spot four submarginal spots of the ground-colour are thus separated off in cellules 3 to 6. The marginal band of the hindwing above is narrower than in the type-form and irregularly defined proximally. Mozambique to British East Africa.
* female ab. ''albida'' ab. nov. approximates to the form ''umbrata'', but has the ground-colour of the upper surface white and the marginal band on the upperside of the hindwing much widened, reaching the discal dots; wings beneath whitish yellow. Island of Pemba.
* ''abadima'' Ribbe (= ''clarei'' Neave) forms a transition between ''umbrata'' and '' pseudegina'' ow species including ''abadima'' Ribbe and ''clarei'' Neave Both wings above with bright orange-yellow ground-colour; it differs from ''umbrata'' in having the marginal band on the upperside of the hindwing a mere line or only indicated by some black scales and the marginal spots on the hindwing beneath very large and only separated by the veins; the grey subapical band of the fore wing is lighter, more transparent and more indistinctly defined. The female is darker and the ground-colour forms three whitish spots before the apex of the forewing. Angola to the Cameroons, Uganda and Abyssinia.
* ''pseudegina'' Westw. (55 f) ow_species_''Acraea_pseudegina''_.html" ;"title="Acraea_pseudegina.html" ;"title="ow species ''Acraea pseudegina">ow species ''Acraea pseudegina'' ">Acraea_pseudegina.html" ;"title="ow species ''Acraea pseudegina">ow species ''Acraea pseudegina'' is the north-western race and is distinguished from ''abadima'' by having the fore wing above entirely or for the most part blackish or black-grey. Senegal to Nigeria. Larva lighter than that of the type-form.

Biology

The larvae feed on ''Adenia gummifera'', ''Passiflora'' species (including ''Passiflora coerulea, P. coerulea'') and '' Tricliceras longipedunculatum''.

Taxonomy

It is a member of the ''Acraea caecilia'' species group. See also Pierre & Bernaud, 2014 Pierre & Bernau, 2014 Classification et Liste Synonymique des Taxons du Genre ''Acraea'
pdf
/ref>

Acraea natalica Natal acraea.jpg, Underside of wings
Acraea natalica op Sida cordifolia, Skrikfontein, a.jpg, Female feeding on '' Sida'' nectar
Acraea natalica, m (bo) & w, Skrikfontein, d.jpg, Mating pair in South Africa
Butterfly pair (6689358887).jpg, Mating pair in Mozambique

References

External links

''Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde'' 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 55
''f''
Images representing ''Acraea natalica''
at Bold.
Images representing ''Acraea natalica natalica'' at Bold


at Pteron

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4674942

natalica
Butterflies described in 1847