Belenois gidica
Encyclopedia
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...
in the family Pieridae
Pieridae
The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing approximately 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and Asia. Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow or orange in coloration, often with black spots...
. It is found in the Afrotropic ecozone.
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 40–55 mm (1.6–2.2 ) in males and 40 millimetre in females. Flight period is year-round.
The larvae feed on Boscia
Boscia
Boscia is a genus of plant in family Capparaceae. It contains the following species:* Boscia albitrunca Gilg & Ben.* Boscia angustifolia A...
, Capparis
Capparis
Capparis is a flowering plant genus in the family Capparaceae which is included in the Brassicaceae in the unrevised APG II system. These plants are shrubs or lianas and are collectively known as caper shrubs or caperbushes...
, and Maerua
Maerua
Maerua is a genus of plant in family Capparaceae. Among its species:* Maerua acuminata Oliver* Maerua andradae Wild* Maerua brunnescens Wild* Maerua crassifolia Forssk.* Maerua elegans R. Wilczek...
species.
Subspecies
The following subspecies are recognised:- B. g. gidica
- B. g. hypoxantha
- B. g. abyssinica