Anthene amarah
Encyclopedia
The Black-striped Hairtail (Anthene amarah) is a butterfly
of the Lycaenidae
family. It is found in tropical Africa
and Arabia (up to Aqaba).
The wingspan
is 21-26 mm for males and 23-29 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, with a peak in summer.
The larvae feed on Acacia
species, including and Acacia karroo
, Acacia sieberana and Acacia gerrardii.
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 Lycaenidae
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
family. It is found in tropical Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Arabia (up to Aqaba).
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 21-26 mm for males and 23-29 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, with a peak in summer.
The larvae feed on Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
species, including and Acacia karroo
Acacia karroo
Acacia karroo also known as the Sweet Thorn, is a species of Acacia, native to southern Africa from southern Angola east to Mozambique, and south to South Africa....
, Acacia sieberana and Acacia gerrardii.
Subspecies
- Anthene amarah amarah
- Anthene amarah orphna Clench, 1965 (Liberia)