Kedestes barberae
Encyclopedia
Barber's Ranger is a butterfly
of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in southern Africa, from the Cape Province
to Zimbabwe
, Lesotho
, Transvaal
, the Orange Free State
and KwaZulu-Natal
.
The wingspan
is 26–33 mm for males and 29–38 mm for females. Subspecies bunta has one generation per year, with adults on wing in September. The other subspecies are on wing from October to November and from February to April in two generations.
The larva
e feed on Imperata cylindrica.
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 in southern Africa, from the Cape Province
Cape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa...
to Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
, Transvaal
Transvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
, the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
and KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
.
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 26–33 mm for males and 29–38 mm for females. Subspecies bunta has one generation per year, with adults on wing in September. The other subspecies are on wing from October to November and from February to April in two generations.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e feed on Imperata cylindrica.
Subspecies
- Kedestes barberae barberae
- Kedestes barberae bonsa Evans, 1956 (dry grassland of north-western East Cape and south-eastern North Cape)
- Kedestes barberae bunta Evans, 1956 (in Fynbos on coastal dunes on the Cape Peninsula and the Cape Flats as well as the West Cape)