Catacroptera
| Catacroptera (genus) Pirate (butterfly) | |
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| Catacroptera cloanthe ligata | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Catacroptera Karsch, 1894 |
| Species: | C. cloanthe |
| Binomial name | |
| Catacroptera cloanthe (Stoll, 1781) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Catacroptera is a monotypic genus of butterflies of the subfamily Nymphalinae in the family Nymphalidae found in Africa. The habitat consists of grassland and savanna.
The single species, the Pirate (Catacroptera cloanthe), has a wingspan of 50 to 63 mm. Its dorsal colour is orange with rows of dark bands in the forewing and blue spots surrounded by darker brown in the wind wing. The underside is brown with greyish stripes. Sexes are similar.[1] There are seasonal forms which differ slightly. The dry-season form has a dark brown underside.
Adults are on wing year round, but from September to April in cooler areas.
The larvae feed on Justicia protracta, Barleria stuhlmanni, Ruellia cordata, Asystasia gangetica, Barleria opaca, Ruellia togoensis, Chaetacanthus setiger, Asclepias and Phaulopsis species.[2]
Subspecies
- Catacroptera cloanthe cloanthe (Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland, South Africa: Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga, North West Province, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape Province, Western Cape Province)
- Catacroptera cloanthe ligata Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 (south-eastern Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon)
References
- ↑ Woodhall, S. (2005) A Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: New Holland Publ.
- ↑ Afrotropical Butterflies: Nymphalidae - Tribe Kallimini
- Catacroptera, funet.fi
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