Belenois creona

Updated on Dec 14, 2023

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Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Pieridae Scientific name Belenois creona		Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Belenois Rank Species

Similar Belenois, Colotis euippe, Belenois thysa, Leptosia alcesta, Appias epaphia

Belenois creona, the African common white or African caper, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the Afrotropic ecozone.

Description

The wingspan is 40–45 mm. The sexes are dimorphic.

Males

Uppersides are white with black or brown marginal borders and veins in forewing apex. A black spot exists in the upperside cell instead of a bar as in the brown-veined white (B. aurota).

Females

Females have broader dark upperside borders on both wings. Underwings are yellow during the wet season.

Ecology

The larvae feed on Capparis and Maerua species.

Subspecies

The following subspecies are recognised:

B. c. creona (Senegal to Nigeria, Sudan, east Ethiopia)

B. c. benadirensis (in Somalia)

B. c. boguensis Ethiopia

B. c. elisa (on the Comoros)

B. c. leucogyne (on the Arabian Peninsula)

B. c. prorsus (on Madagascar)

B. c. severina (South Africa to east Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo)

References

Belenois creona Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA