Zophopetes dysmephila, the palm-tree nightfighter, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Mozambique, in South Africa from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, and in Kenya. Their habitat consists of moist savanna and forests.[2]
| Palm-tree nightfighter | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Zophopetes |
| Species: | Z. dysmephila
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| Binomial name | |
| Zophopetes dysmephila | |
| Synonyms | |
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Their wingspan is 40–49 mm for males and 45–52 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round with a peak from November to May in southern Africa.[3]
The larvae feed on Chrysalidocarpus lutescens, Phoenix reclinata, Phoenix dactylifera, Phoenix canariensis, Raphia, Borassus and Cocos species.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zophopetes dysmephila.
Wikispecies has information related to Zophopetes dysmephila.
- ^ Zophopetes at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- ^ Afrotropical Butterflies: Hesperiidae - Subfamily Hesperiinae
- ^ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.