Melampias
Encyclopedia
The Boland Brown is a butterfly
of the Nymphalidae
family. It is found in South Africa
.
The wingspan
is 35-38 mm for males and 33-35 mm for females. Adults are on wing from June (huebneri) or from August (steniptera) to October and sometimes November. There is one generation per year.
The larvae probably feed on Poaceae
. Larvae have been reared on Ehrharta erecta
and Avena sativa.
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...
.
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 35-38 mm for males and 33-35 mm for females. Adults are on wing from June (huebneri) or from August (steniptera) to October and sometimes November. There is one generation per year.
The larvae probably feed on Poaceae
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
. Larvae have been reared on Ehrharta erecta
Ehrharta erecta
Ehrharta erecta is a species of grass also known as panic veldtgrass. The species is native to Southern Africa and Yemen. It is a documented invasive species in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, southern Europe, and China....
and Avena sativa.
Subspecies
- Melampias huebneri huebneri (western Cape from Clanwilliam south to the Cape Peninsula, east to the Gouritz River, at higher altitudes along the western edge of the Little Karoo from Oudtshoorn to Calitzdorp)
- Melampias huebneri steniptera Vári, 1971 (hills in Namaqualand from Springbok to area just south of Garies in the northern Cape)