Pseudacraea boisduvali

Boisduval’s False Acraea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Pseudacraea
Species:	P. boisduvali
Binomial name
Pseudacraea boisduvali (Doubleday, 1845)[1]
Synonyms
Diadema boisduvalii Doubleday, 1845 Pseudacraea trimenii Butler, 1874 Pseudacraea boisduvali f. beatricia Stoneham, 1965 Pseudacraea boisduvali f. westwoodi Stoneham, 1965 Pseudacraea boisduvali f. marsabitensis Carpenter and Jackson, 1950 Pseudacraea colvillei Butler, 1884 Pseudacraea boisduvali var. deficiens Karsch, 1897

Boisduval’s False Acraea (Pseudacraea boisduvali) is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It is found in most of Africa, except the north-western quarter.

The wingspan is 65–70 mm for males and 75–88 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round, with a peak from January to May.^[2]

The larvae feed on Chrysophyllum, Mimusops (including M. obovata and M. zeyheri), Manilkara discolor and Englerophytum (including E. magalismontanum and E. natalense).

Subspecies

• Pseudacraea boisduvali boisduvali (Sierra Leone to Zaire, Angola, Uganda, Sudan, western Kenya)
• Pseudacraea boisduvali trimenii Butler, 1874 (Port St Johns to KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, eastern Kenya)
• Pseudacraea boisduvali sayonis Ungemach, 1932 (southern Ethiopia)
• Pseudacraea boisduvali marsabitensis Jackson & Howarth, 1957 (Marsabit, Kulal, Mount Nyiro)
• Pseudacraea boisduvali pemba Kielland, 1990 (Pemba Island)

Mimicry

Pseudacraea boisduvali is, with Acraea egina and Graphium ridleyanus, a member of a mimicry complex.

References

1. Pseudacraea, Site of Markku Savela
2. Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2005.