Artitropa erinnys explained

Artitropa erinnys, the bush night-fighter, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in South Africa from the East Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, and Transvaal, Zimbabwe and eastern Africa.

The wingspan is 53–57 mm for males and 59–63 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round but are scarce from May to August.^[1]

The larvae feed on Dracaena hookeriana, Dracaena afromontana, Dracaena angustifolia, Dracaena fragrans and Dracaena steudneri.

Subspecies

• Artitropa erinnys erinnys (southern Mozambique, Eswatini, South Africa: coastal lowland and riverine forest from the eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal coast to Maputaland, spreading to the Limpopo Province)
• Artitropa erinnys comorarum Oberthür, 1916 (Comoro Islands: Grand Comore, Anjouan)
• Artitropa erinnys ehlersi Karsch, 1896 (Kenya: Mount Sagala, Teita Hills, Shimba Hills, Tanzania: from the coast inland to Arusha)
• Artitropa erinnys nyasae Riley, 1925 (eastern Zimbabwe, southern Malawi)
• Artitropa erinnys radiata Riley, 1925 (Kenya)
• Artitropa erinnys vansommereni Riley, 1925 (Kenya: Meru, Nairobi, Ngong)

Notes and References

1. Book: Woodhall, Steve . Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa . 2005 . Cape Town, South Africa . Struik . 978-1-86872-724-7 .