Acraea chaeribula explained

Acraea chaeribula is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Haut-Lomani, Lualaba, Haut-Shaba).^[1]

Description

A. chaeribula Oberth. (55 b) is very similar to certain forms of the next species [''[[Acraea acrita]] ], only differing in the very large and deep black apical spot on the upperside of the forewing. Discal dots 3 to 6 of the forewing are absent and the marginal band of the hindwing is light-spotted. The ground-colour is in the male orange- yellow, in the female sometimes dull dark brown, only yellowish behind the cell of the forewing. Rhodesia, southern Congo, Nyassaland and German East Africa.^[2]

The habitat consists of Brachystegia woodland.(Miombo)

Taxonomy

Acraea chaeribula is a member of the Acraea acrita species group. The other clade members are:

• Acraea chaeribula
• Acraea acrita
• Acraea eltringhamiana
• Acraea guluensis
• Acraea lualabae
• Acraea manca
• Acraea pudorina
• Acraea utengulensis

Classification of Acraea by Henning, Henning & Williams, Pierre. J. & Bernaud

• Acraea (group acrita) Henning, 1993 ^[3]
• Acraea (Rubraea) Henning & Williams, 2010 ^[4]
• Acraea (Acraea) (subgroup acrita) Pierre & Bernaud, 2013 ^[5]
• Acraea (Acraea) Groupe egina Pierre & Bernaud, 2014 ^[6]

External links

• Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 55 b

Notes and References

1. Web site: Afrotropical Butterflies: Nymphalidae - Tribe Acraeini . 2012-05-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120810134550/http://atbutterflies.com/downloads/nymphalidae_acraeini.doc . 2012-08-10 . dead .
2. Aurivillius, [P.O.]C. 1908-1924. In: Seitz, A. Die Grosschmetterlinge der Erde Band 13: Abt. 2, Die exotischen Grosschmetterlinge, Die afrikanischen Tagfalter, 1925, 613 Seiten, 80 Tafeln (The Macrolepidoptera of the World 13).Alfred Kernen Verlag, Stuttgart.
3. Henning, 1993 Phylogenetic notes on the African species of the subfamily Acraeinae. Part 2-3. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Metamorphosis 4 (1): 5-18, (2): 53-68
4. Henning & Williams, 2010 Taxonomic notes on the afrotropical taxa of the tribe Acraeini Boisduval, 1833 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae) Metamorphosis 21 (1) : 2-38
5. Pierre, J. & Bernaud, D., 2013 Nymphalidae XXIII. Acraea subgenus Acraea Butterflies of the World 39 : 1-8, pl. 1-28 Goecke & Evers
6. Pierre. J. & Bernau.D. 2014 Classification et Liste Synonymique des Taxons du Genre Acraea pdf