Spialia mafa
Spialia mafa, the Mafa grizzled skipper or Mafa sandman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in south-western Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal, Botswana, Zimbabwe and from the Cape in South Africa to Sudan and southern Arabia.
| Mafa sandman | |
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| In Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania | |
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| Species: | S. mafa |
| Binomial name | |
| Spialia mafa | |
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These skippers are dark brown with white spots and both sides of the wings.[2]
Wingspan is from 22–26 mm.[2]
Flight period is year-round but peaks from September to April.[2]
The larvae feed on Hermannia, Pavonia and Hibiscus species (including Hibiscus aethiopicus).
Subspecies
- Spialia mafa mafa (southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, southern and south-eastern Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, central and northern Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho)
- Spialia mafa higginsi Evans, 1937 (Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, south-western Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman)
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References
- Spialia at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- 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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