Pseudacraea eurytus

Pseudacraea eurytus, the false wanderer, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Africa.

Pseudacraea eurytus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nymphalidae
Genus:
Pseudacraea
Species:
P. eurytus
Binomial name
Pseudacraea eurytus
Synonyms
  • Papilio eurytus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Papilio hirce Drury, [1782]
  • Pseudacraea imitator Trimen, 1873
  • Diadema ruhama Hewitson, 1872
  • Pseudacraea simulator Butler, 1873
  • Pseudacraea fulvaria Butler, 1874
  • Pseudacraea striata Butler, 1874
  • Pseudacraea metaplanema Butler, 1874
  • Pseudacraea epigea Butler, 1874
  • Pseudacraea theorini Aurivillius, 1891
  • Pseudacraea theorini var. consanguinea Aurivillius, 1894
  • Pseudacraea eurytus ab. bicolor Aurivillius, 1899
  • Pseudacraea karschi Fruhstorfer, 1903
  • Pseudacraea hobleyi Neave, 1904
  • Pseudacraea tirikensis Neave, 1904
  • Pseudacraea terra Neave, 1904
  • Pseudacraea obscura Neave, 1904
  • Pseudacraea togoensis Bartel, 1905
  • Pseudacraea impleta Grünberg, 1910
  • Pseudacraea ruwenzorica Grünberg, 1911
  • Pseudacraea fickei f. occidentalis Aurivillius, 1912
  • Pseudacraea eurytus hobleyi f. poggeoides Poulton, 1913
  • Pseudacraea theorini ab. epigeoides Strand, 1914
  • Pseudacraea theorini ab. obtusidentata Strand, 1914
  • Pseudacraea ruhama ab. latefasciata Schultze, 1920
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. opisthoxantha Carpenter, 1924
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. kuenowoides Carpenter, 1930
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. schubotzoides Carpenter, 1935
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. stavelioides Carpenter, 1949
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. hemixantha Carpenter, 1949
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. infumata Carpenter, 1949
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. grisea Carpenter, 1949
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. jacksoni Carpenter, 1949
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. nigralba Hecq, 1991
  • Pseudacraea fulvaria f. fontainei Hecq, 1991
  • Pseudacraea striata f. knoopi Hecq, 1991
  • Pseudacraea simulator Grose-Smith, 1889
  • Pseudacraea fickei Weymer, 1907
  • Pseudacraea rogersi Trimen, 1909
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. mlanjensis Carpenter, 1920
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. victoris Eltringham, 1929
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. rufobrunnea Carpenter and Jackson, 1950
  • Pseudacraea conradti Oberthür, 1893
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. pondo Carpenter, 1949
  • Pseudacraea eurytus f. chionea van Son, 1979
  • Pseudacraea mimoras Ungemach, 1932
  • Pseudacraea mimoras f. lachesis Ungemach, 1932
  • Pseudacraea epaeoides Ungemach, 1932
  • Pseudacraea striata youbdonis Ungemach, 1932

The wingspan is 60–68 mm for males and 65–75 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, but mainly from December to May. There is a strong peak in late summer.[2]

The larvae feed on Mimusops obovata, Englerophytum magalismontanum, E. natalense and Chrysophyllum viridifolium.

Subspecies
  • Pseudacraea eurytus eurytus (southern Senegal (Casamance) to Cameroon, Angola, Zaire, southern Sudan, Uganda, west of the Rift Valley in western Kenya and western Tanzania)
  • Pseudacraea eurytus imitator Trimen, 1873 (South Africa, southern Mozambique)
  • Pseudacraea eurytus conradti Oberthür, 1893 (Kenya: east of the Rift Valley, eastern Tanzania, Malawi, northern Mozambique)
  • Pseudacraea eurytus obscura Neave, 1904 (Uganda)
  • Pseudacraea eurytus mimoras Ungemach, 1932 (south-western Ethiopia)

Genetic Underdominance

False wanderers display a rare example of stable genetic Underdominance. This species possesses two alleles which each confer an appearance similar to that of another local butterfly species that is toxic to its predator. Individuals who are heterozygous for this trait appear to be intermediate in appearance and thus experience increased predation and lowered overall fitness, since false wanderers heavily rely on Batesian mimicry for survival.[3]

References
  1. "Pseudacraea Westwood, [1850]" 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.
  3. Brauer, Fred; Kribs, Christopher (2015). Dynamical Systems for Biological Modeling: An Introduction. CRC Press. p. 399.
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