Acraea eponina

Acraea eponina, the orange acraea or small orange acraea to distinguish it from the larger A. anacreon, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in tropical Africa and south-western Arabia.

Small orange acraea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Acraea
Species:
A. eponina
Binomial name
Acraea eponina
(Cramer, 1780)
Synonyms
  • Acraea manjaca Boisduval, 1833
  • Hyalites eponina (Cramer, 1780)
  • Papilio eponina Cramer, 1780
  • Telchinia perrupta Butler, 1883

The wingspan is 35–40 mm for males and 36–44 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, but are more common in warmer months.[1]

Natural enemies include the parasitoids Carcelia normula and Charops species and the predaceous bugs Afrius figuratus, Rhynocoris bicolor and other Rhynocoris species.

The larvae of subspecies eponina feed on Hibiscus, Sida, Nicotiana, Hermannia, and Triumfetta species. Subspecies manjaca has been reported on Triumfetta rhomboidea, Triumfetta annua, Triumfetta effusa, Triumfetta pilosa and Hermannia species.

Subspecies
  • Acraea eponina eponina (Tropical Africa, south-western Arabia)
  • Acraea eponina manjaca (Natal, Swaziland, Transvaal, Rhodesia, Mozambique). Now a synonym of Acraea serena

Taxonomy

Acraea eponina is a member of the Acraea bonasia species group; see Acraea.

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References
  1. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.


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