Acraea boopis
Encyclopedia
The Rainforest Acraea is a butterfly
of the Nymphalidae
family. It is found in KwaZulu-Natal
, Swaziland
, from Mozambique
to Kenya
and in Tanzania
.
The wingspan
is 45-52 mm for males and 49-58 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, with peaks from November to March in southern Africa.
The larvae feed on Celastraceae
species, including Cassine tetragonal, Maytenus acuminate, Maytenus heterophylla and Rawsonia lucida.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the Nymphalidae
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...
family. It is found in KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
, Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, from Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 45-52 mm for males and 49-58 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, with peaks from November to March in southern Africa.
The larvae feed on Celastraceae
Celastraceae
The Celastraceae , is a family of about 90-100 genera and 1,300 species of vines, shrubs and small trees, belonging to the order Celastrales...
species, including Cassine tetragonal, Maytenus acuminate, Maytenus heterophylla and Rawsonia lucida.
Subspecies
- Acraea boopis boopis (South Africa in afromontane and higher lowland forest in East Cape, then along the escarpment through KwaZulu-Natal, also in Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province)
- Acraea boopis ama Pierre, 1979 (Kenya, northern Tanzania)
- Acraea boopis choloui Pierre, 1979 (Malawi)