Dira oxylus, the Pondoland widow, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in from the lower Drakensberg foothills from the eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.[1]
| Pondoland widow | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Dira |
| Species: | D. oxylus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Dira oxylus (Trimen, 1881)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The wingspan is 50–60 mm for males and 55–65 mm for females. Adults are on wing from late December to early March. There is one generation per year[2]
The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Ehrharta erecta.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dira oxylus.
- ^ Dira 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.