Acraea petraea

Acraea petraea, the blood acraea or blood-red acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in coastal forests from KwaZulu-Natal to Mozambique, Kenya and Malawi.

Acraea petraea
Male
Mounted
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Acraea
Species:
A. petraea
Binomial name
Acraea petraea
Synonyms
  • Acraea petraea petrina Suffert, 1904
  • Acraea petraea ab. taborana Suffert, 1904
  • Acraea petraea ab. pseudacontias Wichgraf, 1914
  • Acraea petraea ab. grisea Neustetter, 1916

The wingspan is 45–48 mm (1.8–1.9 in) for males and 45–55 mm (1.8–2.2 in) for females. Adults are on wing year round, with a peak from November to February.[2]

The larvae feed on Xylotheca kraussiana and Xylotheca kotzei.

References

  1. "Acraea Fabricius, 1807" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. 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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