Sarangesa seineri
Encyclopedia
The Dusted Elfin or Dark Elfin (Sarangesa seineri) is a butterfly
of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in Natal
, the former Transvaal
and Botswana
and from Zimbabwe
to Kenya
and Zaire
.
The wingspan
is 36-38 mm for males and 38-40 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, although they are scarcer in winter and the dry season. .
The larvae feed on Peristrophe hensii.
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 Natal
Natal, South Africa
Natal is a region in South Africa. It stretches between the Indian Ocean in the south and east, the Drakensberg in the west, and the Lebombo Mountains in the north. The main cities are Pietermaritzburg and Durban...
, the former 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:...
and Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
and from 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...
to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
.
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 36-38 mm for males and 38-40 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, although they are scarcer in winter and the dry season. .
The larvae feed on Peristrophe hensii.
Subspecies
- Sarangesa seineri seineri (north of Soutpansberg in Limpopo Province to northern Gauteng and northern Mpumalanga)
- Sarangesa seineri durbana Evans, 1937 (Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga)
- Sarangesa seineri tanga Evans, 1937 (Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South West Africa)