Eretis umbra
Encyclopedia
The Small Marbled Elf (Eretis umbra) is a butterfly
of the Hesperiidae family. It is found from South Africa
to eastern Africa
and Uganda
.
The wingspan
is 30–32 mm for males and 32–37 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas and from August to May in cooler areas.
The larvae feed on Chaetacanthus setiger, Phaulopsis, Dyschoriste
, Chaetacanthus, Justicia
and Asystasia
(including Asystasia schimperi).
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 Hesperiidae family. It is found from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to eastern 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...
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
.
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 30–32 mm for males and 32–37 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas and from August to May in cooler areas.
The larvae feed on Chaetacanthus setiger, Phaulopsis, Dyschoriste
Dyschoriste
Dyschoriste is a genus of flowering plants in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as snakeherb.-Selected species:*Dyschoriste angusta Small – Pineland Snakeherb...
, Chaetacanthus, Justicia
Justicia
Justicia is a genus of flowering plants in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. The roughly 420 species it contains are native to tropical to warm temperate regions of the Americas, with two species occurring north into cooler temperate regions...
and Asystasia
Asystasia
The genus Asystasia belongs to the family Acanthaceae and comprises approximately 70 species found in the tropics, including the weedy species Asystasia gangetica.-Selected species:* Asystasia africana C.B...
(including Asystasia schimperi).
Subspecies
- Eretis umbra umbra (along the coast from the western Cape to the eastern Cape, Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal, the Orange Free State, Limpopo, the North-West Provinces, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the eastern part of the northern Cape)
- Eretis umbra nox Neave, 1910 (Zimbabwe, Mozambique)
- Eretis umbra maculifera Mabille & Boullet, 1916