Vanessa dimorphica

Vanessa dimorphica (northern short-tailed admiral or dimorphic admiral) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Africa.

Northern short-tailed admiral
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Vanessa
Species:
V. dimorphica
Binomial name
Vanessa dimorphica
(Howarth, 1966)
Synonyms
  • Antanartia dimorphica Howarth, 1966

Wingspan is 45–45 mm in males and 42–48 mm in females. Has two or three flight periods with peak between April and May.[1]

The larvae feed on Laportia peduncularis and Drogueria and Carduus species.[1]

This species was traditionally considered to be a member of the genus Antanartia, but recent molecular analyses reveals that it is more closely related to members of the genus Vanessa.[2]

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically.[3]

  • V. d. aethiopica (Howarth, 1966) − (highlands of Ethiopia)
  • V. d. comoroica (Howarth, 1966) – (Comoros)
  • V. d. dimorphica (Howarth, 1966) – (Sudan, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, eastern Zimbabwe, South Africa: Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga)
  • V. d. mortoni (Howarth, 1966) – (eastern highlands of Nigeria, western Cameroon, Bioko)

References

  1. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
  2. Wahlberg, Niklas; Rubinoff, Daniel (2011). "Vagility across Vanessa (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): mobility in butterfly species does not inhibit the formation and persistence of isolated sister taxa". Systematic Entomology. 36 (2): 362–370. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2010.00566.x.
  3. Antanartia at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms


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