Pseudacraea lucretia
Encyclopedia
The False Diadem or False Chief (Pseudacraea lucretia) is a butterfly
of the Nymphalidae
family. It is found in Africa
.
The wingspan
is 60-72 mm for males and 65-68 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, with a peak from January to July.
The larvae feed on Mimusops obovata, Mimusops zeheri, Mimusops caffra
, Englerophytum magalismontanum
and Chrysophyllum viridifolium.
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 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...
.
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 60-72 mm for males and 65-68 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, with a peak from January to July.
The larvae feed on Mimusops obovata, Mimusops zeheri, Mimusops caffra
Mimusops caffra
Mimusops caffra is a species of tree in family Sapotaceae. This tree is commonly known as the Coastal Red Milkwood and is found in coastal dune vegetation from the Eastern Cape of South Africa to southern Mozambique.-Description:...
, Englerophytum magalismontanum
Englerophytum magalismontanum
Englerophytum magalismontanum T.D.Penn., is an evergreen tree usually growing in rocky places, with a wide distribution from northern KwaZulu-Natal along the east coast and into the interior, northwards into tropical Africa....
and Chrysophyllum viridifolium.
Subspecies
- Pseudacraea lucretia lucretia (Senegal to Nigeria)
- Pseudacraea lucretia apaturoides (C. & R. Felder, [1867]) (Madagascar)
- Pseudacraea lucretia tarquinia (Trimen, 1868) (East Cape to northern KwaZulu-Natal)
- Pseudacraea lucretia protracta (Butler, 1874) (Cameroon to Angola, Zaire, Uganda, southern Sudan, western Tanzania, western Kenya)
- Pseudacraea lucretia expansa Butler, 1878 (South Africa (Limpopo Province and Mpumalanga) Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, east of the Rift Valley in Tanzania and Kenya)
- Pseudacraea lucretia comorana Oberthür, 1890 (Comoro Islands, Anjouan)
- Pseudacraea lucretia walensensis (Sharpe, 1896) (southern Ethiopia)
- Pseudacraea lucretia gamae Joicey & Talbot, 1927 (Principe, São Tomé)
- Pseudacraea lucretia karthalae Collins, 1991 (Comoro Islands)