Protogoniomorpha anacardii, the clouded mother-of-pearl, is a species of Nymphalidae butterfly found in tropical Africa,[1] and in Arabia (P. a. nebulosa: Saudi Arabia and Yemen)[2]
| Clouded mother-of-pearl | |
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| P. a. anacardii, Ghana | |
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| Underside | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Protogoniomorpha |
| Species: | P. anacardii
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| Binomial name | |
| Protogoniomorpha anacardii | |
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| Approximate range
P. a. anacardii (Linnaeus, 1758)
P. a. nebulosa (Trimen, 1881)
P. a. ansorgei (Rothschild, 1904)
P. (a.) duprei (Vinson, 1863)
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| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan of this species is 55–68 mm for males and 65–75 mm for females.[3]
Its flight period is year-round, peaking in summer and autumn.[3]
P. anacardii caterpillars eat Asystasia, Brillantaisia, Isoglossa, Justicia, Mimulopsis, and Paulowilhelmia flowers.[1][3] The dorsal side of this species' wings are stark white with dark spots by the outer margin and two yellow eye spots near the bottom. The ventral side of this species' wings resemble a dead leaf.
Subspecies
edit- P. a. anacardii — Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, western Nigeria, Central African Republic to the Rift Valley
- P. a. ansorgei (Rothschild, 1904) — Angola, southern Democratic Republic of the Congo
- P. a. nebulosa Trimen, 1881 — Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Saudi Arabia,[4] South Africa, Eswatini, Yemen
Gallery
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P. a. anacardii -
P. a. nebulosa f. trimeni (female dry-season form) -
P. a. duprei -
P. a. duprei -
P. a. duprei -
Vanesa anacardii (= Protogoniomorpha anacardii) by Dru Drury
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References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Protogoniomorpha anacardii.
- ^ a b c Salamis at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- ^ Alfakih, Ateah; Faify, Eisa Ali Al (2024-02-01), The clouded mother-of-pearl Protogoniomorpha anacardii Linnaeus, 1758 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) – an updated record of butterfly for Saudi Arabia, doi:10.1101/2023.12.22.572884, retrieved 2024-02-03
- ^ a b c Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
- ^ Alfakih, Ateah; Faify, Eisa Ali Al (2023-12-23), The clouded mother-of-pearl Protogoniomorpha anacardii Linnaeus, 1758 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) – a new record of butterfly for Saudi Arabia, doi:10.1101/2023.12.22.572884, retrieved 2023-12-24
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