Belenois creona

Belenois creona, the African common white or African caper, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the Afrotropical realm.

African common white
Female in wet season
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pieridae
Genus:	Belenois
Species:	B. creona
Binomial name
Belenois creona (Cramer, 1776)
Subspecies
See text
Synonyms
Papilio creona Cramer, [1776] Anaphaeis creona Papilio cneora Fabricius, 1793 Colias ernestius Laporte, 1831 Pieris creona ab. caeca Cannaviello, 1900 Pieris severina ab. sigirrensis Strand, 1909 Anapheis creona ab. houzeaui Dufrane, 1947 Glycestha creona r. benadirensis Storace, 1948 Pieris boguensis Felder & Felder, 1865 Pieris creona f. mixta Ungemach, 1932 Pieris elisa van Vollenhoven, 1869 Belenois johannae Butler, 1879 Belenois leucogyne Butler, 1885 Anapheis creona prorsus Talbot, 1943 Belenois creona prorsus f. antonii Bernardi, 1951 Papilio severina Stoll, 1781 Pieris agrippina Felder and Felder, 1865 Belenois infida Butler, 1888 Pieris severina ab. msamwiana Strand, 1911 Pieris guarani Köhler, 1923 Pieris severina f. acutapex Hulstaert, 1924 Pieris severina f. burgeoni Hulstaert, 1924 Pieris severina f. obscurissima Hulstaert, 1924 Pieris creona f. subalba Hulstaert, 1924 Anapheis creona ab. demaneti Dufrane, 1947 Anapheis creona ab. evrardi Dufrane, 1947 Anapheis creona ab. gnoma Dufrane, 1947 Anapheis creona f. mombasica Stoneham, 1957 Anapheis creona f. creonoides Stoneham, 1957 Anapheis creona f. creontica Stoneham, 1957 Anapheis creona f. nigerrima Stoneham, 1957 Anapheis creona f. jocasta Stoneham, 1957 Anapheis creona f. megara Stoneham, 1957

Description

B. c. severina, Tanzania

The wingspan is 40–45 mm. The sexes are dimorphic.

Males

Uppersides are white with black or brown marginal borders and veins in forewing apex. A black spot exists in the upperside cell instead of a bar as in the brown-veined white (B. aurota).

Females

Females have broader dark upperside borders on both wings. Underwings are yellow during the wet season.[1]

Ecology

The larvae feed on Capparis and Maerua species.

Subspecies

The following subspecies are recognised:[2]

• B. c. creona (Senegal to Nigeria, Sudan, east Ethiopia)
• B. c. benadirensis (in Somalia)
• B. c. boguensis Ethiopia
• B. c. elisa (on the Comoros)
• B. c. leucogyne (on the Arabian Peninsula)
• B. c. prorsus (on Madagascar)
• B. c. severina (South Africa to east Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo)

References

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

External links

• Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 13
• Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 12