Colias electo, the African clouded yellow or lucerne butterfly, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It is found in eastern and southern Africa, as well as Arabia. The habitat consists of temperate and montane grasslands.[2]
| Colias electo | |
|---|---|
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| C. e. pseudohecate, Ethiopia | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pieridae |
| Genus: | Colias |
| Species: | C. electo
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| Binomial name | |
| Colias electo | |
| Synonyms | |
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List
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The wingspan is 35–40 millimetres (1.4–1.6 in) for males and 32–40 mm (1.3–1.6 in) for females. Adults are on the wing throughout the year, with a peak from April to August.[3]
The larvae feed on Medicago sativa, Trifolium, Vicia and Robinia pseudoacacia.
Subspecies
edit- C. e. electo (South Africa, southern Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia)
- C. e. hecate Strecker, 1900 (Angola, southern Zaire, northern Zambia and north-western Malawi)
- C. e. pseudohecate Berger, 1940 (Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, eastern Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, southern Sudan, southern Ethiopia and northern Somalia)
- C. e. meneliki Berger, 1940 (central and northern Ethiopia and Eritrea)
- C. e. philbyi Berger, 1953 (southern and western Arabia)
- C. e. manengoubensis Darge, 1968 (eastern Nigeria, Cameroon)
References
edit- ^ Colias at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- ^ "Afrotropical Butterflies: File D – Pierini - Subfamily Coliadinae". Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
- ^ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
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