Cymothoe alcimeda
Encyclopedia
The Battling Glider is a butterfly
of the Nymphalidae
family. It is found in South Africa
and Zimbabwe
.
The wingspan
is 40-50 mm for males and 45-55 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, but mainly in summer from October onwards. Peaks occur in November and from February to April.
The larvae feed on Kiggelaria africana
.
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 in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and 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...
.
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 40-50 mm for males and 45-55 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, but mainly in summer from October onwards. Peaks occur in November and from February to April.
The larvae feed on Kiggelaria africana
Kiggelaria africana
Kiggelaria africana is a large, robust, low-branching African tree.Despite its common name, it is not related to the more familiar fruit-producing Peach tree although the leaves do superficially look similar.-Appearance:A well-shaped, robust, evergreen tree with grey-green leaves...
.
Subspecies
- Cymothoe alcimeda alcimeda (West Cape to to Knysna)
- Cymothoe alcimeda trimeni Aurivillius, 1912 (east Cape along Drakensberg escarpment to KwaZulu-Natal midlands)
- Cymothoe alcimeda clarki Stevenson, 1940 (Amatola range of East Cape)
- Cymothoe alcimeda rhodesiae Stevenson, 1934 (eastern Zimbabwe (Vumba Mountains))
- Cymothoe alcimeda marieps Rydon, 1994 (south of Olifants River from Mariepskop to Barberton in Mpumalanga)
- Cymothoe alcimeda transvaalica Rydon, 1994 (Limpopo Province escarpment)