Precis pelarga

Fashion commodore
	Precis pelarga from Eritrea. Mounted specimen
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Precis
Species:	P. pelarga
Binomial name
	Precis pelarga; (Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
	Papilio pelarga Fabricius, 1775; Vanessa galami Boisduval, 1833; Papilio leodice Cramer, 1777; Papilio harpyia Fabricius, 1781; Papilio trullus Herbst, 1794; Precis monroviana Staudinger, 1885; Precis pelarga f. moyambensis Wichgraf, 1921; Kallimula pelarga f. proetigiana Stoneham, 1965;

Precis pelarga, the fashion commodore, is a species of butterfly in the Nymphalidae family.

Description

Precis pelarga has a wingspan reaching about 43–51 millimetres (1.7–2.0 in). The forewings are falcade. A clearer band crosses forewings and hindwings. This band is orange-white in the wet season, bluish-white in the dry season (seasonal polymorphism). Tha basal area of the wings is brown, while the margins are blackish, with a series of small white spots. The undersides of the wings are variegated, with yellowish-brown cryptic colours, mimicking dead leaves. Larvae feed on Solenostemon and Coleus (Lamiaceae species).

Distribution

This species is present in tropical Africa (Senegal, Angola, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, W. Kenya, Ethiopia, and Eritrea).

Habitat

Precis pelarga can be found in open forests and in savannah, at an elevation of about 0–1,350 metres (0–4,429 ft) above sea level.

References

Funet

External links