Dira swanepoeli

Dira swanepoeli, or Swanepoel's widow, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in the southern slopes of the Blouberg Range in Limpopo, South Africa.[1]

Swanepoel's widow
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nymphalidae
Genus:
Dira
Species:
D. swanepoeli
Binomial name
Dira swanepoeli
(van Son, 1939)
Synonyms
  • Leptoneura swanepoeli van Son, 1939

The wingspan is 58–65 mm for males and 60–68 mm for females. Adults are on wing from late February to early March. There is one generation per year.[2]

The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Eragrostis aspera, Ehrharta erecta and Pennisetum clandestinum.

Subspecies
  • Dira swanepoeli swanepoeli (northern Transvaal)
  • Dira swanepoeli isolata van Son, 1955 (Blouberg Range in northern Transvaal)

References
  1. "Dira Hübner, [1819]" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.


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