Alaena amazoula

Alaena amazoula, the yellow Zulu, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in southern Africa.

Yellow Zulu
A. a. ochroma, male
Wing underside
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Alaena
Species:
A. amazoula
Binomial name
Alaena amazoula
(Boisduval, 1847)[1]
Synonyms
  • Acraea amazoula Boisduval, 1847
  • Alaena amazoula amazoula ab. orphina Vári, 1976
  • Alaena amazoula f. congoana Aurivillius, 1914

The wingspan is 22–28 mm for males and 25–32 mm for females. Adults are on wing from October to May (with a peak from December to January). There is one generation per year.[2]

The larvae feed on Cyanobacteria species.

Subspecies
  • A. a. amazoula (Eastern Cape to northern KwaZulu-Natal)
  • A. a. congoana Aurivillius, 1914 (southern Zaire, Angola, Namibia)
  • A. a. nyasana Hawker-Smith, 1933
  • A. a. ochroma Vári, 1976 (Swaziland to Mpumalanga, Gauteng, the Free State, Limpopo, North West, Mozambique, Zimbabwe)
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References
  1. Alaena 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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