Coeliades forestan
Species of butterfly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coeliades forestan, the striped policeman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found from Transkei to Zimbabwe and to Botswana. It is also present on Madagascar and Mauritius.[2]
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| Striped policeman | |
|---|---|
| |
| C. f. forestan, Namibia | |
.jpg) | |
| C. f. arbogastes, Madagascar | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Coeliades |
| Species: | C. forestan |
| Binomial name | |
| Coeliades forestan | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The wingspan is 45–55 mm for males and 55–64 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round in warmer areas with peaks September to April.[3]
The larvae feed on a wide range of plants, including Parinari curatellifolia, Lonchocarpus capassa, Combretum bracteosum, Combretum apiculatum, Solanum auriculatum, Solanum mauritianum, Millettia sutherlandii, Sphedamnocarpus rhamni, Sphedamnocarpus pruriens and Robinia pseudacacia.
Subspecies
- Coeliades forestan forestan (Sub-Saharan Africa)
- Coeliades forestan arbogastes (Guenee, 1863) (Madagascar & Mauritius)
Stamps
The Republic of Chad has issued a stamp showing a Coeliades forestan in 2003.[4]
