Acraea lualabae explained

Acraea lualabae is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Shaba).^[1]

Description

In 1912, Harry Eltringham wrote:

Description in Seitz

A. lualabae Neave is very similar to the two following species [''[[Acraea chaeribula|A. chaeribula]], A. acrita ], scarcely differing except in the forewing having two to four discal dots in cellules 3 to 6. Both wings above orange-yellow with large black dots; apical spot of the forewing about 8 mm. in breadth, indicated beneath also; marginal band of the hindwing on both surfaces with large light spots; hindwing above blackish at the base. Congo: Lualaba.^[2]

Taxonomy

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

• Acraea lualabae
• Acraea acrita
• Acraea chaeribula
• Acraea eltringhamiana
• Acraea guluensis
• 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]

Etymology

Lualaba is in the Congo.

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, G.A. & Williams, M.C. 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 & Bernau, 2014 Classification et Liste Synonymique des Taxons du Genre Acraea pdf