Belenois thysa
Encyclopedia
Belenois thysa, the False Dotted Border, is a butterfly
of the Lycaenidae
family. It is found in Africa
.
The wingspan
is 45–60 mm (1.8–2.4 ) for males and 48 millimetre for females. Adults are on wing year round in warm areas.
The larvae feed on Capparis
species and Maerua racemulosa.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the Lycaenidae
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
family. It is found in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 45–60 mm (1.8–2.4 ) for males and 48 millimetre for females. Adults are on wing year round in warm areas.
The larvae feed on Capparis
Capparis
Capparis is a flowering plant genus in the family Capparaceae which is included in the Brassicaceae in the unrevised APG II system. These plants are shrubs or lianas and are collectively known as caper shrubs or caperbushes...
species and Maerua racemulosa.
Subspecies
- Belenois thysa thysa (South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and the coast of Kenya)
- Belenois thysa tricolor Talbot, 1943 (Ethiopia)
- Belenois thysa meldolae Butler, 1872 (Angola, southern Zaire to Uganda, western Kenya, southern Sudan)