Dira jansei, or Janse's widow, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found on wooded hillsides in the savanna/grassland ecotone in Limpopo's Strydpoortberg and Drakensberg and from the Makapans Cave to Mariepskop.
| Janse's widow | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Dira |
| Species: | D. jansei
|
| Binomial name | |
| Dira jansei (Swierstra, 1911)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The wingspan is 48–55 mm for males and 52–58 mm for females. Adults are on wing from late February to mid-March. There is one generation per year.[2]
The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Ehrharta erecta and Pennisetum clandestinum.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dira jansei.
- ^ "Dira Hübner, [1819]" 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.