Tuxentius calice

Tuxentius calice, the white pie, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Africa southwards of the equator.

White pie
T. c. calice in South Africa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Tuxentius
Species:
T. calice
Binomial name
Tuxentius calice
(Hopffer, 1855)[1]
Synonyms
  • Lycaena calice Hopffer, 1855
  • Castalius calice
  • Castalius gregorii Butler, 1894

The wingspan is 21–24 mm for males and 21–25 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round, but are most common from October to March.[2]

The larvae feed on Ziziphus mucronata and probably other Ziziphus species.

Subspecies

  • Tuxentius calice calice — South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, southern Zaire (Shaba), Angola, Malawi, southern Tanzania
  • Tuxentius calice gregorii (Butler, 1894) — northern Tanzania, central Kenya
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References

  1. Tuxentius 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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