Tarsocera cassus, the spring widow, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in South Africa.
Spring widow | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Nymphalidae |
Genus: | Tarsocera |
Species: | T. cassus
|
Binomial name | |
Tarsocera cassus | |
Synonyms | |
|
The wingspan is 42–52 mm for males and 50–57 mm for females. Adults are on wing from September to December (with a peak in October or November). There is one generation per year[2]
The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Lolium temulentum and Haparrhenia hirta.
Subspecies
edit- Tarsocera cassus cassus (northern Cape south to the south-western parts of the West Cape)
- Tarsocera cassus outeniqua Vári, 1971 (Little Karoo and the south-eastern part of the West Cape)
References
editWikimedia Commons has media related to Tarsocera cassus.
Wikispecies has information related to Tarsocera cassus.
- ^ Tarsocera 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.