Leptosia alcesta explained

Leptosia alcesta, the African wood white or flip flop, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, found in Africa.

The wingspan is 30–40 mm in males and 35–42 mm in females. The adults fly year-round, peaking from March to May.^[1]

The larvae feed on Ritchiea species, Capparis fascicularis, and Capparis brassii.^[1]

Subspecies

• L. a. alcesta (Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo)
• L. a. inalcesta Bernardi, 1959 (Uganda, southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland)
• L. a. pseudonuptilla Bernardi, 1959 (Democratic Republic of the Congo to Ethiopia)
• L. a. sylvicola (Boisduval, 1833) (Madagascar)

External links

• Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 10

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 .