''Vanessa dimorphica'' (northern short-tailed admiral or dimorphic admiral) is a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

of 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 ...

. It is found in

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 ...

. Wingspan is 45–45 mm in males and 42–48 mm in females. Has two or three flight periods with peak between April and May. The larvae feed on '' Laportia peduncularis'' and '' Drogueria'' and ''

Carduus ''Carduus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, and the tribe Cardueae, one of two genera considered to be true thistles, the other being ''Cirsium''. Plants of the genus are known commonly as plumeless thistles.

'' species. This species was traditionally considered to be a member of the genus ''

Antanartia ''Antanartia'', commonly called (African) admirals, is a genus in the family Nymphalidae found in southern Africa. They live along forest edges and are strongly attracted to rotting fruit and plant juices. For other admirals see genus, '' Vanessa ...

'', but recent molecular analyses reveals that it is more closely related to members of the genus ''

Vanessa Vanessa may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Vanessa'' (Millais painting), an 1868 painting by Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais * ''Vanessa'', a 1933 novel by Hugh Walpole * ''Vanessa'', a 1952 instrumental song written by Bernie ...

''.

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically.''Antanartia''
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'' *''V. d. aethiopica'' (Howarth, 1966) − (highlands of Ethiopia) *''V. d. comoroica'' (Howarth, 1966) – (Comoros) *''V. d. dimorphica'' (Howarth, 1966) – (Sudan, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, eastern Zimbabwe, South Africa: Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga) *''V. d. mortoni'' (Howarth, 1966) – (eastern highlands of Nigeria, western Cameroon, Bioko)

References

Butterflies described in 1966 dimorphica {{Nymphalinae-stub