Coeliades forestan

Coeliades forestan, the striped policeman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found from Transkei to Zimbabwe and to Botswana. It is also present on Madagascar and Mauritius.[2]

Striped policeman
C. f. arbogastes, Madagascar
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Coeliades
Species:
C. forestan
Binomial name
Coeliades forestan
(Stoll, [1782])[1]
Synonyms
  • Papilio forestan Stoll, [1782]
  • Thymele arbogastes Guenee, 1863
  • Coeliades arbogastes
  • Hesperia margarita Butler, 1879

The wingspan is 45–55 mm for males and 55–64 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round in warmer areas with peaks September to April.[3]

The larvae feed on a wide range of plants, including Parinari curatellifolia, Lonchocarpus capassa, Combretum bracteosum, Combretum apiculatum, Solanum auriculatum, Solanum mauritianum, Millettia sutherlandii, Sphedamnocarpus rhamni, Sphedamnocarpus pruriens and Robinia pseudacacia.

Subspecies
  • Coeliades forestan forestan (Sub-Saharan Africa)
  • Coeliades forestan arbogastes (Guenee, 1863) (Madagascar & Mauritius)

Stamps

The Republic of Chad has issued a stamp showing a Coeliades forestan in 2003.[4]

References
  1. Coeliades at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Butterflies of Mauritius by J.R. Williams ISBN99949-22-29-7
  3. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
  4. Stamps on wnsstamps.ch


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