Colias electo explained

Colias electo, the African clouded yellow or lucerne butterfly, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It is found in eastern and southern Africa, as well as Arabia. The habitat consists of temperate and montane grasslands.^[1]

The wingspan is 35- for males and 32mm40mm for females. Adults are on the wing throughout the year, with a peak from April to August.^[2]

The larvae feed on Medicago sativa, Trifolium, Vicia and Robinia pseudoacacia.

Subspecies

• C. e. electo (South Africa, southern Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia)
• C. e. hecate Strecker, 1900 (Angola, southern Zaire, northern Zambia and north-western Malawi)
• C. e. pseudohecate Berger, 1940 (Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, eastern Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, southern Sudan, southern Ethiopia and northern Somalia)
• C. e. meneliki Berger, 1940 (central and northern Ethiopia and Eritrea)
• C. e. philbyi Berger, 1953 (southern and western Arabia)
• C. e. manengoubensis Darge, 1968 (eastern Nigeria, Cameroon)

References

• Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 22 f

Notes and References

1. Web site: Afrotropical Butterflies: File D – Pierini - Subfamily Coliadinae . 2012-05-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819102801/http://atbutterflies.com/downloads/pieridae_coliadinae.doc . 2014-08-19 . dead .
2. Book: Woodhall, Steve . Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa . 2005 . Cape Town, South Africa . Struik . 978-1-86872-724-7 .