Acraea pentapolis, also known as the scarce tree-top acraea or eastern musanga acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in western and central Africa.
Habitat and food The habitat consists of forests, and the larvae feed on Myrianthus holstii (Urticaceae).
Description In 1912, Harry Eltringham wrote:Eltringham, H. (1912) A monograph of the African species of the genus Acraea Fab., with a supplement on those of the Oriental Region. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1912:1-374.
Description in Seitz
A. pentapolis has the hindwing hyaline or transparent at the costal margin, in cellules 5 to 7 as far as the cell and in lc to 4 at the distal margin; thus only the cell, cellules 1a to 2 nearly to the distal margin and the base of cellule 3 (and 4) are scaled; the marginal streaks are often only distinct in cellules 1c to 3. Larva dark umber-brown above with a white spot at each side on segments 4 to 12; head red-brown. Spines black, the one on segment 2 elongated. Pupa whitish with black markings; abdomen dorsally with short, obtuse elevations. pentapolis Ward (56 e). Transverse band of the fore wing dull and little distinct; scaling of the hind wing very thin, pale yellow to whitish. Sierra Leone to the Congo and Uganda, aberratio form thelestis Oberth. (56 f). Scaling of the hindwing red-yellow. Among the type-form. epidica Oberth. (56 f). Transverse band of the forewing deep black and sharply defined, often much widened; scaling of the hindwing lemon-yellow; distal margin of both wings often broadly darkened. German East Africa.Aurivillius, [P.O.]C. 1908-1924. In: Seitz, A. Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde Band 13: Abt. 2, Die exotischen Großschmetterlinge, Die afrikanischen Tagfalter, 1925, 613 Seiten, 80 Tafeln (The Macrolepidoptera of the World 13). Alfred Kernen Verlag, Stuttgart.
Subspecies Acraea pentapolis pentapolis — Cameroon, Gabon, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, western Kenya Acraea pentapolis epidica Oberthür, 1893 — Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe
Taxonomy It is a member of the Acraea pentapolis species group.- but see also Pierre & Bernaud, 2014 Pierre & Bernau, 2014 Classification et Liste Synonymique des Taxons du Genre Acraea pdf
References
External links
Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 56 e, f as thelestis and epidica Images representing Acraea pentapolis at Bold Images representing Acraea pentapolis epidica at Bold Acraea pentapolis Le Site des Acraea de Dominique Bernaud