Acraea igola
Species of butterfly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Acraea igola, the dusky-veined acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found from the Eastern Cape along the coast to KwaZulu-Natal, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, north-eastern Tanzania.
| Dusky-veined acraea | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Acraea |
| Species: | A. igola |
| Binomial name | |
| Acraea igola | |
| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is 40–45 mm for males and 45–53 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, with a peak from October to April. It is very scarce in dry months.[2]
Description
A. igola Trim, is very similar to the two preceding species, [ A. quirinalis, A. orestia ] but the marginal band of the hindwing is not transparent and the cell is unspotted. Basal half of the forewing as far as the apex of the cell and vein 3 bright orange-yellow without spots; costal margin dusted with black to the base, apex, marginal band and veins 3-6; cellules 3-6 otherwise diaphanous; hindwing orange-yellow above with black dots and black marginal band 2-2.5 mm. in breadth; the red-yellow colour on the under surface much paler than on the upper; streaks on the interneural folds short, not reaching the distal margin. In the female the ground-colour is lighter, light ochre-yellow to cream-yellow and the marginal band not sharply defined. Zululand to German East Africa. - female f. maculiventris Sm. & Kirby has a duller, more brown-yellow ground-colour and the marginal band on the upperside of the hindwing not sharply defined, sometimes broader, sometimes narrower; beneath the hindwing is sometimes coloured as above, sometimes chocolate-brown at the base as far as the discal spots, and then light reddish to the red-brown marginal band. Among the type-form.[3]
Biology
The larvae feed on Urera woodii and Urera trinervis.
Taxonomy
It is a member of the Acraea masamba species group - but see also Pierre & Bernaud, 2014 [4]
