Alenia sandaster

Alenia sandaster, the Karoo dancer or Karoo sandman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is only known from the arid Nama Karoo of the eastern part of the West Cape, the central North Cape and the western East Cape in South Africa.

Alenia sandaster
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Hesperiidae
Genus:
Alenia
Species:
A. sandaster
Binomial name
Alenia sandaster
(Trimen, 1868)[1]
Synonyms
  • Pyrgus sandaster Trimen, 1868

The wingspan is 22–27 mm for males and 26–28 mm for females. Adults are on wing from August to January (with a peak from September to November). There is one extended generation per year.[2]

The larvae feed on Blepharis capensis and Barleria species.

References
  1. Alenia at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.