''Catacroptera'' is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

butterfly genus of the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Nymphalinae The Nymphalinae are a subfamily of brush-footed butterflies (family Nymphalidae). Sometimes, the subfamilies Limenitidinae, and Biblidinae are included here as subordinate tribe(s), while the tribe Melitaeini is occasionally regarded as a distinc ...

in the family

Nymphalidae The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a red ...

found in

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

. The habitat consists of grassland and savanna. Adults are on wing year round, but from September to April in cooler areas.

Description

The single species, ''Catacroptera cloanthe'', the pirate, has a wingspan of 50 to 63 mm. Its dorsal colour is orange with rows of dark bands in the forewing and blue spots surrounded by darker brown in the hindwing. The underside is brown with greyish stripes. Sexes are similar. There are seasonal forms which differ slightly. The dry-season form has a dark brown underside.

Food plants

The larvae feed on '' Justicia protracta'', '' Barleria stuhlmanni'', '' Ruellia cordata'', ''

Asystasia gangetica ''Asystasia gangetica'' is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is commonly known as the Chinese violet, coromandelPlants of Hawaii: ''Asystasia gangetica'': http://www.hear.org/starr/images/species/?q=asystasia+gangetica&o=plants, r ...

'', '' Barleria opaca'', '' Ruellia togoensis'', '' Chaetacanthus setiger'', ''

Asclepias ''Asclepias'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most species are toxic to humans ...

'' and '' Phaulopsis'' species.

Subspecies

*''C. c.'' subsp. ''cloanthe'' – East and southern Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, South Africa (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape) *''C. c.'' subsp. ''ligata'' Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 – West Africa: south-eastern Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon

References

External links

"''Catacroptera'' Karsch, 1894"
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'' * Bode, J. (2012)
Pirate & Joker Sap Sucking
feeding on sap of ''

Ziziphus mucronata ''Ziziphus mucronata'', known as the buffalo thorn, is a species of tree in the family Rhamnaceae, native to southern Africa. It is deciduous and may grow up to 17 metres tall. It can survive in a variety of soil types, occurring in many habitat ...

'' tree, YouTube video Butterflies described in 1781 Kallimini Monotypic butterfly genera {{Nymphalinae-stub