Bicyclus safitza

Bicyclus safitza
wet season form, f. injusta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Tribe:	Elymniini
Genus:	Bicyclus
Species:	B. safitza
Binomial name
Bicyclus safitza (Westwood, [1850])
Synonyms
Mycalesis safitza Westwood, [1850] Papilio delila Fabricius, 1793 Mycalesis eusirus Hopffer, 1855 Mycalesis evenus Hopffer, 1855 Mycalesis injusta Wallengren, 1857 Mycalesis caffra Wallengren, 1857 Mycalesis safitza ab. semicoeca Strand, 1910 Mycalesis aethiops f. velutina Ungemach, 1932

The Common Bush Brown or Common Savanna Bush Brown (Bicyclus safitza) is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It is found in all of Africa, south of the Sahara.

The wingspan is 40–45 mm for males and 43-48 for females. Adults are on wing year round.^[1]

The larvae feed on various grasses, including Ehrharta erecta.^[2]

Subspecies and forms

• B. s. safitza – south of Sahara except Ethiopia

wet season form, f. safitza – south to Mpumalanga, South Africa

wet season form, f. injusta – South African east coast regions

dry season form, f. evenus – widespread

• B. s. aethiops (Rothschild & Jordan, 1905) – Ethiopia

dry season form, f. evenus, lacking clear ocelli on hind wing

References

1. Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town:Struik Publishers, 2005.
2. Bicyclus, Site of Markku Savela