Pseudacraea eurytus

Pseudacraea eurytus, the false wanderer, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Africa.

False wanderer
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Pseudacraea
Species:	P. eurytus
Binomial name
Pseudacraea eurytus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Papilio eurytus Linnaeus, 1758 Papilio hirce Drury, [1782] Pseudacraea imitator Trimen, 1873 Diadema ruhama Hewitson, 1872 Pseudacraea simulator Butler, 1873 Pseudacraea fulvaria Butler, 1874 Pseudacraea striata Butler, 1874 Pseudacraea metaplanema Butler, 1874 Pseudacraea epigea Butler, 1874 Pseudacraea theorini Aurivillius, 1891 Pseudacraea theorini var. consanguinea Aurivillius, 1894 Pseudacraea eurytus ab. bicolor Aurivillius, 1899 Pseudacraea karschi Fruhstorfer, 1903 Pseudacraea hobleyi Neave, 1904 Pseudacraea tirikensis Neave, 1904 Pseudacraea terra Neave, 1904 Pseudacraea obscura Neave, 1904 Pseudacraea togoensis Bartel, 1905 Pseudacraea impleta Grünberg, 1910 Pseudacraea ruwenzorica Grünberg, 1911 Pseudacraea fickei f. occidentalis Aurivillius, 1912 Pseudacraea eurytus hobleyi f. poggeoides Poulton, 1913 Pseudacraea theorini ab. epigeoides Strand, 1914 Pseudacraea theorini ab. obtusidentata Strand, 1914 Pseudacraea ruhama ab. latefasciata Schultze, 1920 Pseudacraea eurytus f. opisthoxantha Carpenter, 1924 Pseudacraea eurytus f. kuenowoides Carpenter, 1930 Pseudacraea eurytus f. schubotzoides Carpenter, 1935 Pseudacraea eurytus f. stavelioides Carpenter, 1949 Pseudacraea eurytus f. hemixantha Carpenter, 1949 Pseudacraea eurytus f. infumata Carpenter, 1949 Pseudacraea eurytus f. grisea Carpenter, 1949 Pseudacraea eurytus f. jacksoni Carpenter, 1949 Pseudacraea eurytus f. nigralba Hecq, 1991 Pseudacraea fulvaria f. fontainei Hecq, 1991 Pseudacraea striata f. knoopi Hecq, 1991 Pseudacraea simulator Grose-Smith, 1889 Pseudacraea fickei Weymer, 1907 Pseudacraea rogersi Trimen, 1909 Pseudacraea eurytus f. mlanjensis Carpenter, 1920 Pseudacraea eurytus f. victoris Eltringham, 1929 Pseudacraea eurytus f. rufobrunnea Carpenter and Jackson, 1950 Pseudacraea conradti Oberthür, 1893 Pseudacraea eurytus f. pondo Carpenter, 1949 Pseudacraea eurytus f. chionea van Son, 1979 Pseudacraea mimoras Ungemach, 1932 Pseudacraea mimoras f. lachesis Ungemach, 1932 Pseudacraea epaeoides Ungemach, 1932 Pseudacraea striata youbdonis Ungemach, 1932

Description

Pseudacraea eurytus eurytus, female from the Ogooué River, tropical Africa

Pseudacraea eurytus conradti, male from the Usambara Mts, East Africa, in Charles Oberthür (1893)

For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

The numerous forms of this group [eurytus group - eurytus, dolomena and rubrobasalis] may be known at once by the long, distinct black streaks on the interneural folds of the hindwing; forewing always with 5 rounded black spots in the cell and 1 or 2 at the base of cellule 1b. The butterflies stand in interesting but very complicated mimetic relations with the Planema species which fly together with them. In the males the forewing is more pointed with the distal margin straight or slightly in the females the forewing very obtusely rounded with the distal margin curved.

• Ps. eurytus L. (46 c). The hindmarginal spot of the forewing is large, reaches vein 3 and has its proximal edge sharp and straight, but does not cover the base of cellules 1b and 2; hindwing beneath at the base reddish, in the male above red-yellow, towards the distal margin gradually becoming broadly darkened, in the female white with very broad black marginal band, rather sharply defined proximally; the hindmarginal spot and the subapical band of the forewing yellow in the male, white in the female. Sierra Leone to the Cameroons.
• ab. epigea Btlr. The subapical band and the broad hindmarginal spot of the forewing are light orange-yellow as in the hindwing the same, the upperside only with a dark marginal band 3–4 mm. in breadth. Among the type-form.
• ab. bicolor Auriv. is distinguished by having the subapical band of the forewing white, but the hindwing and the hindmarginal spot on the forewing red-yellow. Congo.
• terra Neave differs in having the hindmarginal spot of the forewing very broad, almost entirely filling up the base of cellules 1-2, whilst the ochre-yellow ground-colour of the hindwing reaches the distal margin in cellules 1a-4 and only in cellules 5-7 is separated from it by a narrow black band; the hindmarginal spot and the subapical band of the forewing are lighter yellow. Uganda.
• imitator Trim, is the south-eastern race and is distinguished by having the hindmarginal spot of the forewing absent or very small and placed behind the middle of the hindmargin and the hindwing black-brown at the base, so that the white colour forms a median band. The markings are white in the female, light ochre-yellow or whitish in the male. Natal.

The wingspan is 60–68 mm for males and 65–75 mm for females.

Subspecies

• Pseudacraea eurytus eurytus — southern Senegal (Casamance) to Cameroon, Angola, Zaire, southern Sudan, Uganda, west of the Rift Valley in western Kenya and western Tanzania
• Pseudacraea eurytus imitator Trimen, 1873 — South Africa, southern Mozambique
• Pseudacraea eurytus conradti Oberthür, 1893 — Kenya: east of the Rift Valley, eastern Tanzania, Malawi, northern Mozambique
• Pseudacraea eurytus obscura Neave, 1904 — Uganda
• Pseudacraea eurytus mimoras Ungemach, 1932 — south-western Ethiopia

Biology

Adults are on wing year round, but mainly from December to May. There is a strong peak in late summer.

The larvae feed on Mimusops obovata, Englerophytum magalismontanum, E. natalense and Donella viridifolia.

Genetic Underdominance

False wanderers display a rare example of stable genetic Underdominance. This species possesses two alleles which each confer an appearance similar to that of another local butterfly species that is toxic to its predator. Individuals who are heterozygous for this trait appear to be intermediate in appearance and thus experience increased predation and lowered overall fitness, since false wanderers heavily rely on Batesian mimicry for survival.

External links

• Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 56 f as conradti