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Tuxentius calice

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

White pie
T. c. calice in South Africa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Tuxentius
Species:
T. calice
Binomial name
Tuxentius calice
(Hopffer, 1855)[1]
  approximate range
Synonyms
  • Lycaena calice Hopffer, 1855
  • Castalius calice
  • Castalius gregorii Butler, 1894

Tuxentius calice, the white pie, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Africa southwards of the equator.

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

The larvae feed on Ziziphus mucronata and probably other Ziziphus species.

Subspecies

[edit]
  • Tuxentius calice calice — South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, southern Zaire (Shaba), Angola, Malawi, southern Tanzania
  • Tuxentius calice gregorii (Butler, 1894) — northern Tanzania, central Kenya

References

[edit]
  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.