Acraea oberthueri

Acraea oberthueri, Oberthuer's acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea (Mbini and Bioko), the Republic of the Congo, the southern and eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and western Tanzania.[3]

Oberthuer's acraea
Imago in Seitz (1925) and larva in Eltringham (1912)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Acraea
Species:
A. oberthueri
Binomial name
Acraea oberthueri
Synonyms
  • Acraea (Actinote) oberthueri
  • Acraea oberthuri
  • Acraea oberthueri confluens Suffert, 1904
  • Acraea oberthueri var. laetopicta Rebel, 1914
  • Acrea oberthuri var. confluens Schouteden, 1919
  • Acraea oberthueri ab. ornata Schultze, 1923
  • Acraea oberthueri f. kuntzeni Le Doux, 1923

Description
For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

A. oberthueri Btlr. (56 c, d) may be easily known by the numerous free basal and discal dots on the under surface of the hindwing. The upper surface is blackish brown-grey with the usual markings light ochre-yellow; cell of the forewing without light markings; subapical band composed of three spots in cellules 4 to 6; hindmarginal spot narrow and of almost uniform breadth, composed of spots in 1a, 1b, 2 (and 3), the spot in 2 not covering the base of the cellule. Hindwing with an ochre-yellow median band, which is as broad as the hindmarginal spot of the fore wing and joins on to this spot; the distal part has more or less distinct longitudinal stripes, corresponding to those of the under surface. The distal half of the under surface between the veins with thick black rays, which are bifurcate at the distal margin and are separated from the veins by light lines. Nigeria to the Congo.

  • In ab. confluens Suff. the subapical band of the forewing is joined to the hindmarginal spot in cellule 3. Among the type-form.
  • Larva slate-grey with red-yellow head, the spines of segments 2 to 5 and the upper spines of segments 10 to 13 black; those of segments 6 to 9 and the lower ones on segments 10 to 13 yellowish; lives on one of the Tiliaceae, Ancistrocarpus densispinosus.
  • Pupa white with two dorsal and two lateral rows of orange-yellow, black-ringed spots and black lines on the wing-cases.[4]

Biology

The habitat consists of dense forests and mature secondary growth.

It is mimicked by females of Mimacraea apicalis.

The larvae feed on Ancistrocarpus densispinosus and Grewia species.

Taxonomy

It is a member of the Acraea oberthueri species group. – but see also Pierre & Bernaud, 2014 [5]

Etymology

The specific epithet honours Charles Oberthür.

References
  1. Butler, A.G. 1895 On the Acraea cynthius of Drury. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (6) 16: 271.
  2. "Acraea Fabricius, 1807" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  3. "Afrotropical Butterflies: Nymphalidae - Tribe Acraeini". Archived from the original on 2012-08-10. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  4. Aurivillius, [P.O.]C. 1908-1924. In: Seitz, A. Die Großschmetterlinge 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.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. Pierre & Bernau, 2014 Classification et Liste Synonymique des Taxons du Genre Acraea pdf
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