''Protogoniomorpha anacardii'', the clouded mother-of-pearl, is a species of
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 ...
butterfly found in tropical
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
.
[
The wingspan is 55–68 mm for males and 65–75 mm for females.][
The species larval food is '']Asystasia
The genus ''Asystasia'' belongs to the family Acanthaceae and comprises approximately 70 species found in the tropics, including the weedy species ''Asystasia gangetica''.
Selected species
* '' Asystasia africana'' (S. Moore) C.B. Clarke
* ''As ...
'', ''Brillantaisia
''Brillantaisia'' is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae
Acanthaceae is a family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining ...
'', ''Isoglossa
''Isoglossa'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae.
Selected species
* '' Isoglossa angusta''
* '' Isoglossa anisophylla''
* '' Isoglossa asystasioides''
* '' Isoglossa bondwaensis''
* '' Isoglossa bracteosa''
* ...
'', '' Justicia'', ''Mimulopsis
''Mimulopsis'' is a genus in the flowering plant family Acanthaceae with about 20 species native to tropical Africa and Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, ...
'', and '' Paulowilhelmia'' species.[ Le salamis anarcadii est reconnaissable avec sa couleur blanche et ses deux grandes tâches noires sur le haut de ses ailes ainsi qu’à ses deux petites tâches en forme d’œil jaune et à son camouflage de feuilles.
]
Subspecies
*''P. a. anacardii'' — Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, western Nigeria, Central African Republic to the Rift Valley
*''P. a. ansorgei'' (Rothschild, 1904) — Angola, southern Democratic Republic of the Congo
*''P. a. nebulosa'' Trimen, 1881 — Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland, Yemen
Gallery
SeitzFaunaAfricanaXIIITaf50, Protogoniomorpha anacardii anacardii.jpg,
SeitzFaunaAfricanaXIIITaf50, Protogoniomorpha anacardii nebulosa.jpg,
Protogoniomorpha anacardii duprei.JPG,
Clouded mother-of-pearl (Protogoniomorpha anacardii duprei).jpg,
Clouded mother-of-pearl (Protogoniomorpha anacardii duprei) underside.jpg,
Illustrations of Exotic Entomology III 04.jpg, ''Vanesa anacardii'' (= ''Protogoniomorpha anacardii'') by Dru Drury
Dru Drury (4 February 1724 – 15 December 1803) was a British collector of natural history specimens and an entomologist. He had specimens collected from across the world through a network of ship's officers and collectors including Henry Sme ...
References
Junoniini
Butterflies described in 1758
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Butterflies of Africa
{{Nymphalinae-stub