The Forest Mother-of-Pearl or Common Mother-of-Pearl (Protogoniomorpha parhassus) is a species of Nymphalidae

Nymphalidae

The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...

 butterfly found in forested areas of 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...

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Subspecies

• P. p. parhassus Forest Mother-of-pearl from Tropical Africa
  Tropical Africa
  Although tropical Africa is most familiar in the West as depicted by its rain forests, this region of Africa is far more diverse. While the tropics are thought of as regions with warm to hot moist climates caused by latitude and the tropical rain belt, the geology of areas, particularly mountain...
  
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• P. p. aethiops (Palisot de Beauvais, 1805) Common Mother-of-pearl from southern Africa
  Southern Africa
  Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
  
  

Description

The following description is for P. p. aethiops:
A large butterfly; the wingspan is 65–80 mm for males and 75–90 mm for females. The male and female are similar in colour and pattern. The base colour of the uppersurface of the wings is greenish-white with a violet sheen in the wet season form, and pearly-white in the dry season form. The forewing has a black-tipped, hooked apex. The wings have a few red eye-spots which are ringed with black. There are black spots near the margins of both the fore- and hindwings. The underside of the wings has a greenish-white base colour, with eye-spots corresponding to those on the uppersurface.

Eggs

This species lays tiny eggs similar to those of Junonia

Junonia

Junonia is a genus of nymphalid butterflies, described by Jacob Hübner in 1819. They are commonly known as Buckeyes, Pansies, or Commodores. This genus flies on every continent except Antarctica. The genus contains about 30–35 species....

and Precis

Précis

A précis is a type of summary or abridgment.Précis or Precis may also refer to:*Mitsubishi Precis, another name for the Hyundai Excel*Précis , debut album by Michigan-based musician Benoit Pioulard...

species.

Larvae

The larvae are similar to those of Junonia and Precis species, but larger. They feed on 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...

(Asystasia gangetica

Asystasia gangetica

Asystasia gangetica is a species of plant in the Acanthaceae family. It is commonly known as the Chinese Violet, Coromandel or Creeping Foxglove. In South Africa this plant may simply be called Asystasia.-Description:...

), Brillantaisia

Brillantaisia

Brillantaisia is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae. It contains the following species :* Brillantaisia lancifolia, Lindau* Brillantaisia nyanzarum Burkill...

, Isoglossa

Isoglossa

Isoglossa is a genus of flowering plants in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae.-Selected species:* Isoglossa nervosa C.B.Clarke* Isoglossa woodii...

(I. woodii

Isoglossa woodii

Isoglossa woodii is commonly known as Buckweed. It is a monocarpic shrub of the family Acanthaceae, growing up to 4m tall. It grows in colonies in coastal forest areas of KwaZulu-Natal and marginally into the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa....

and I. mossambicensis ), Mimulopsis

Mimulopsis

Mimulopsis is a genus in the flowering plant family Acanthaceae with about 30 species native to tropical Africa and Madagascar.-Selected species:Some species of Mimulopsis:* Mimulopsis affinis Baker * Mimulopsis alpina Chiov....

, and Paulowilhelmia species.

Adults

The flight period of the adults is year-round, peaking in summer and autumn. They have a "ponderous, flapping flight which can be quite fast". The males may perch on the leaves of forest trees, while the females stay closer to the ground near the larval foodplants. These butterflies roost under leaves at night, and the males sometimes mud-puddle.

Gallery