Dixeia charina

Dixeia charina, the African small white,[1][2] is a butterfly in the family Pieridae and is native to southeastern Africa.

African small white
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Genus: Dixeia
Species:
D. charina
Binomial name
Dixeia charina
(Boisduval, [1836])
Synonyms
  • Pieris charina Boisduval, [1836]
  • Pinacopteryx nigropunctata Sharpe, 1890
  • Pieris anactorie Doubleday, 1842
  • Pieris gerda dagera Suffert, 1904
  • Pieris liliana anali Suffert, 1904
  • Belenois liliana Grose-Smith, 1889
  • Pinacopteryx gerda Grose-Smith and Kirby, 1893
  • Dixeia doxo liliana f. transiens Talbot, 1943
  • Dixeia doxo liliana f. immaculata Talbot, 1943
  • Dixeia doxo liliana f. ochreata Talbot, 1943
  • Pinacopteryx lambertoni Le Cerf, 1921
  • Pinacopteryx narena Grose-Smith, 1898
  • Pinacopteryx liliana pulverulenta Dixey, 1929
  • Dixeia doxo septentrionalis Bernardi, 1958
  • Pieris simana Hopffer, 1855

The wingspan is 34–40 mm in males and 36–42 mm in females. Its flight period is year-round.[1]

Larvae feed on Capparis citrifolia and Capparis sepiaria.[1][2]

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically:[2]

  • D. c. charina (southern Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini)
  • D. c. dagera (Suffert, 1904) (Tanzania)
  • D. c. liliana (Grose-Smith, 1889) (eastern and coastal Kenya, northern Tanzania)
  • D. c. narena (Grose-Smith, 1898) (Madagascar)
  • D. c. pulverulenta (Dixey, 1929) (Kenya)
  • D. c. septentrionalis Bernardi, 1958 (eastern and northern Ethiopia)
  • D. c. simana Hopffer, 1855 (northern Mozambique)

References
  1. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
  2. Markku Savela's pages: http://www.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/pieridae/pierinae/dixeia/index.html
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