Tuxentius melaena

Black pie
	Upper and underside of the; nominate subspecies
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Tuxentius
Species:	T. melaena
Binomial name
	Tuxentius melaena; (Trimen, 1887)
	approximate range
Synonyms
	Lycaena melaena Trimen, 1887; Castalius melaena; Lycaena griqua Trimen, 1887; Cupido melas Aurivillius, 1924;

Tuxentius melaena, the black pie or dark pied Pierrot, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Africa.

Description

The wingspan is 19–24 mm for males and 21–25 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round, but are most common from October to March.^[2]

Taxonomic status of the species remains uncertain due to significant variations noted across individual specimens.^[3]

Appearance

Males of subspecies Tuxentius melaena griqua are characterised by having faint, dark markings on a dirty- yellow base color, on the dorsal region. There are minimal white markings on that side, which are distinctive but subtle. Whereas the female specimens contain reduced black markings on their ventral region. On the upperside of the hindwing, they feature expanded white markings. Individual variations are also detected within subspecies.^[4]^[5]

Habitat and behavior

The larvae feed on Ziziphus mucronata and probably other Ziziphus species.^{[citation needed]}

Subspecies

Tuxentius melaena melaena — South Africa (from Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal coast, inland to Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West) to Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia
Tuxentius melaena griqua (Trimen, 1887) — Northern Cape, South Africa

References

^ Tuxentius at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
^ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
^ Terblanche, R. (1994). "The little hairtail from the Kalahari". Metamorphosis. 5 (4). The Lepidopterists' Society of Africa: 173–174.
^ Pringle, E.L.L.; Henning, G.A.; Ball, J.B. (1994). Pennington’s butterflies of southern Africa. Cape Town: Struik Winchester. ISBN 9780947430467. OCLC 32270879.
^ Krüger, M. (2000). "A review of the afrotropical Cabera subalba group, with description of the first Southern African species (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Ennominae)". Metamorphosis. 11 (3). The Lepidopterists' Society of Africa: 111–121. ISSN 2307-5031 – via Lepsoc.

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[1] Tuxentius 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.

[3] Terblanche, R. (1994). "The little hairtail from the Kalahari". Metamorphosis. 5 (4). The Lepidopterists' Society of Africa: 173–174.

[4] Pringle, E.L.L.; Henning, G.A.; Ball, J.B. (1994). Pennington’s butterflies of southern Africa. Cape Town: Struik Winchester. ISBN 9780947430467. OCLC 32270879.

[5] Krüger, M. (2000). "A review of the afrotropical Cabera subalba group, with description of the first Southern African species (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Ennominae)". Metamorphosis. 11 (3). The Lepidopterists' Society of Africa: 111–121. ISSN 2307-5031 – via Lepsoc.

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