Amauris echeria

Amauris echeria, the chief, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern Africa.

Chief
Both in Kakamega Forest, Kenya
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Amauris
Species:	A. echeria
Binomial name
Amauris echeria (Stoll, [1790])
Synonyms
Papilio echeria Stoll, [1790] Amauris echerioides Weistman, 1913 Amauris echeria imatongensis Talbot, 1941 Amauris echeria jacksoni f. luxuriosa Talbot, 1940 Amauris echeria vaal Talbot, 1940 Danais vaillantiana Godart, 1819 Amauris lobengula abessinica Schmidt, 1921 Amauris fernandina Schultze, 1914 Amauris jacksoni Sharpe, 1892 Amauris lobengula katangae Neave, 1910 Nebroda lobengula Sharpe, 1890 Amauris lobengula mongallensis Carpenter, 1928 Amauris lobengula septentrionis Poulton, 1924 Amauris steckeri Kheil, 1890 Amauris whytei Butler, 1894

The wingspan is 55–65 mm for males and 63–70 for females. Adults are on wing year round (with peaks in summer and autumn).[1]

The larvae feed on Tylophora anomala, Tylophora stolzii, Cynanchum chirindense, Gymnema (including Gymnema sylvestre), Marsdenia (including Marsdenia angolensis and Marsdenia racemosa) and Secamone (including Secamone africana and Secamone parviflora).[2]

Subspecies

A. e. katangae Neave, 1910

• A. e. echeria – Cape to Natal, Zululand, Transvaal
• A. e. abessinica Schmidt, 1921 – Eritrea, northern Ethiopia
• A. e. chyuluensis van Someren, 1939 – south-eastern Kenya (Chyulu, Sagala, Emali, Teita)
• A. e. contracta Talbot, 1940 – western Kenya, Kitale
• A. e. fernandina Schultze, 1914 – Fernando Póo (Macías Nguema Island)
• A. e. jacksoni Sharpe, 1892 – Kenya west of the Rift Valley
• A. e. katangae Neave, 1910 – southern Zaire (southern Shaba), Zambia
• A. e. kikuyu Talbot, 1940 – eastern Kenya (Katamayu to Meru, Nyambeni)
• A. e. lobengula (Sharpe, 1890) – Rhodesia, southern Mozambique, southern Malawi (Mount Mlanje)
• A. e. meruensis Talbot, 1940 – northern Tanzania (Arusha, Moshi, Nogorongoro)
• A. e. mongallensis Carpenter, 1928 – southern Sudan, northern Uganda
• A. e. mpala Talbot, 1940 – highlands of Zaire
• A. e. occidentalis Schmidt, 1921 – Cameroon
• A. e. septentrionis Poulton, 1924 – northern Kenya (Marsabit, Nyiro, Kulal)
• A. e. serica Talbot, 1940 – southern Tanzania, northern Malawi
• A. e. steckeri Kheil, 1890 – southern Ethiopia, western Ethiopia, southern Sudan
• A. e. terrena Talbot, 1940 – western Uganda, eastern Zaire, north-western Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi
• A. e. whytei Butler, 1894 – southern Malawi (Zomba Plateau)

References

1. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
2. "Amauris Hübner, 1816" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms

• Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 24 nominate and jacksoni Sharpe, 1892
  • Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 25 ssp. lobengula misspelling