Leptosia alcesta
Encyclopedia
The African Wood White or Flip Flop (Leptosia alcesta) is a butterfly
of the Pieridae
family, found in the 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.
The larva
feed on Richea
species, Capparis fascicularis
, and Capparis brassii.
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 Pieridae
Pieridae
The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing approximately 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and Asia. Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow or orange in coloration, often with black spots...
family, found in the 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 30–40 mm in males and 35–42 mm in females. The adults fly year-round, peaking from March to May.
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...
feed on Richea
Richea
Richea is a genus of 11 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. Nine of the species are endemic to Tasmania and the other two are endemic to the south-east of the Australian mainland.Species include:*Richea acerosa F.Muell....
species, Capparis fascicularis
Capparis fascicularis
The Zigzag Caper-bush is a plant in the Capparaceae family and is native to Africa.-Taxonomy:This species has multiple synonyms. The species is said to comprise of 3 varieties, but 4 are listed:...
, and Capparis brassii.