Celaenorrhinus mokeezi
Encyclopedia
The Large Sprite, Large Flat or Christmas Forester (Celaenorrhinus mokeezi) is a butterfly
of the Hesperiidae family. It is found from Transkei
to KwaZulu-Natal
, Transvaal
and Mozambique
.
The wingspan
is 40–48 mm for males and 45–51 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas with peaks in late summer and autumn.
The larvae feed on Isoglossa woodii
.
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 Hesperiidae family. It is found from Transkei
Transkei
The Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...
to 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....
, Transvaal
Transvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
and 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...
.
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 40–48 mm for males and 45–51 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas with peaks in late summer and autumn.
The larvae feed on Isoglossa woodii
Isoglossa woodii
Isoglossa woodii is commonly known as Buckweed. It is a monocarpic shrub of the family Acanthaceae, growing up to 4m tall. It grows in colonies in coastal forest areas of KwaZulu-Natal and marginally into the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa....
.
Subspecies
- Celaenorrhinus mokeezi mokeezi (from eastern Cape to the southern KwaZulu-Natal coast and midlands)
- Celaenorrhinus mokeezi separata (Strand, 1911) (Mozambique, Zululand, Transvaal)