Acraea caldarena
Acraea caldarena, the black tip acraea or black-tipped acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern and southeastern Africa.
Description
A. caldarena Hew.. male. Ground-colour of both wings above light reddish ochre-yellow to light rose-red is only distinguished from the type-form by having the black apical spot of the forewing narrower, only 3 to 4 mm. in breadth. German East Africa. - The larva has a delicate rose-reddish to orange-yellow ground-colour and black spines and lives on Wormskjoldia longepedunculata. Pupa yellowish with black markings.Subspecies
- Acraea caldarena caldarena ― South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, southern DRC, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya
- Acraea caldarena neluska Oberthür, 1878 ― coasts of eastern Kenya and eastern Tanzania
Biology
Adults are on the wing year round, with a peak from August to April in southern Africa.The larvae feed on Passifloraceae species, including Tricliceras longipedunculatum and Adenia species.
[image:AcraeaSpecies2, Acraea caldarena.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Acraea caldarena caldarena in Seitz (1925)]