Pentila tropicalis, the tropical pentila or spotted buff, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in eastern Africa.
| Pentila tropicalis | |
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| Pentila tropicalis tropicalis | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Pentila |
| Species: | P. tropicalis
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| Binomial name | |
| Pentila tropicalis | |
| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is 29–38 mm for males and 34–44 mm for females. Subspecies P. t. tropicalis has two generations per year, with adults on wing in October and November and from January to April. Subspecies P. t. fuscipunctata has continuous broods from November to April.[2]
The larvae feed on species of cyanobacteria.
Subspecies
edit- P. t. tropicalis (KwaZulu-Natal, Zululand, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi)
- P. t. chyulu van Someren, 1939 (south-eastern Kenya (Chyulu Hills))
- P. t. fuscipunctata Henning & Henning, 1994 (sheltered riverine lowland forest of the eastern Limpopo province and further north)
- P. t. mombasae (Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1889) (coastal forests of eastern Kenya and eastern Tanzania)
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pentila tropicalis.
Wikispecies has information related to Pentila tropicalis.
- ^ Pentila 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.