Acraea nohara
Encyclopedia
The Light Red Acraea is a butterfly
of the Nymphalidae
family. It is found from KwaZulu-Natal
north through Zimbabwe
to Kenya
.
The wingspan
is 40-48 mm for males and 43-50 mm for females. Adults are on wing from October to November and from January to March in southern Africa.
The larva
e feed on Basananthe sandersonii and Tricicleras longipedunculatum.
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 Nymphalidae
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...
family. It is found from 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....
north through Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
.
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 43-50 mm for females. Adults are on wing from October to November and from January to March in southern Africa.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e feed on Basananthe sandersonii and Tricicleras longipedunculatum.
Subspecies
- Acraea nohara nohara (KwaZulu-Natal, northern and eastern Transvaal)
- Acraea nohara halali Marshall, 1896 (Zimbabwe (Mashonaland, Manicaland))
- Acraea nohara junodi Oberthür (Mozambique to Kenya)