Tarsocera cassus

Tarsocera cassus, the spring widow, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in South Africa.

Spring widow
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nymphalidae
Tribe:
Satyrini
Genus:
Tarsocera
Species:
T. cassus
Binomial name
Tarsocera cassus
(Linnaeus, 1764)[1]
Synonyms
  • Papilio cassus Linnaeus, 1764
  • Dira cassus (Linnaeus, 1764)
  • Tarsocera cassus cassus ab. polyops Vári, 1971
  • Tarsocera cassus cassus ab. signata Vári, 1971

The wingspan is 42–52 mm for males and 50–57 mm for females. Adults are on wing from September to December (with a peak in October or November). There is one generation per year[2]

The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Lolium temulentum and Haparrhenia hirta.

Subspecies
  • Tarsocera cassus cassus (northern Cape south to the south-western parts of the West Cape)
  • Tarsocera cassus outeniqua Vári, 1971 (Little Karoo and the south-eastern part of the West Cape)
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References
  1. Tarsocera 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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