Acraea acerata

Acraea acerata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Acraea
Species:	A. acerata
Binomial name
Acraea acerata Hewitson, 1874
Synonyms
Acraea (Actinote) acerata Acraea vinidia Hewitson, 1874 Acraea tenella Rogenhofer, 1891 Telchinia tenella Acraea abbotti Holland, 1892 Acraea brahmsi Suffert, 1904 Acraea vinidia diavina Suffert, 1904 Acraea pullula Grünberg, 1911 Acraea vinidia ab. ruandae Grünberg, 1911 Acraea acerata vinidia ab. burigensis Strand, 1913 Acraea acerata tenella f. alluaudi Le Cerf, 1927 Acraea acerata hoursti Le Cerf, 1927

Acraea acerata, the Falls Acraea or Small Yellow-banded Acraea, is a butterfly in the Nymphalidae family. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola, Mozambique, north-western Zimbabwe, northern Botswana and northern Namibia. The habitat consists of disturbed areas in the forest zone, usually near water or in riverine bush.

Both sexes show colour and pattern variation.

The larvae feed on Merremia hederaca, Lepistemon owariense, Solanum, Passiflora, Vernonia, Ipomoea (including Ipomoea whytei, Ipomoea repens and Ipomoea batatas) and possibly Zea species.

Subspecies

• Bematistes vestalis vestalis (Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria)
• Bematistes vestalis congoensis (Le Doux, 1937) (Democratic Republic of Congo: Lualaba and Lushala), western Tanzania)
• Bematistes vestalis stavelia (Suffert, 1904) (Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo: north-west to Mongala)