Bematistes scalivittata is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae, belonging to the genus Bematistes, which is sometimes treated as a subgenus of Acraea. The species was first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1896 from specimens collected in Nyasaland (present-day Malawi). It is found in Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia, where it inhabits montane forests.
Description Bematistes scalivittata closely resembles B. aganice but is distinguished by the structure of the white transverse band on the forewing, which is narrow and divided into two broadly separated parts. The costal portion, positioned at the middle of the costal margin, consists of five small spots in cellules 4–6, 10, and 11. The posterior portion comprises only two spots, in cellules 2 and 3, oriented perpendicular to the hind margin and located just 2–4 mm from the distal margin. The two parts of the transverse band are separated by approximately 3 mm at vein 4.Aurivillius, C. 1908–1924. In: Seitz, A. Die Grossschmetterlinge der Erde Band 13: Abt. 2, Die afrikanischen Tagfalter. Alfred Kernen Verlag, Stuttgart. 613 pp., 80 plates.
Biology The habitat of B. scalivittata consists of montane forests in southeastern Africa. The larvae feed on plants of the genus Adenia, including A. stolzii. Larval host plants in the genus Adenia (Passifloraceae) are shared with several other Bematistes species, including the closely related B. aganice, whose larvae also feed on Adenia species.
Subspecies Two subspecies are recognised: Bematistes scalivittata scalivittata – eastern Zambia, northern Malawi, and possibly western Tanzania Bematistes scalivittata kiellandianus Koçak, 1996 – central, southern, and south-western Tanzania
The subspecies kiellandianus was originally described as Acraea scalivittata kiellandi by Collins in 1990, but the name was preoccupied. Koçak provided the replacement name kiellandianus in 1996.
Taxonomy Butler originally described the species as Planema scalivittata in 1896. It has subsequently been placed in Acraea and, in more recent classifications, in Bematistes. The species is assigned to the umbra species group within the genus. For a detailed synonymic treatment, see Pierre & Bernaud, 2014.Pierre, J. & Bernaud, D. 2014. Classification et Liste Synonymique des Taxons du Genre Acraea. pdf
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External links
Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 58 d Images representing Acraea scalivittata at BOLD Systems