Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Sarangesa gaerdesi

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Class
  
Insecta

Family
  
Hesperiidae

Rank
  
Species

Phylum
  
Arthropoda

Order
  
Lepidoptera

Genus
  
Sarangesa

Sarangesa gaerdesi, the Namibian elfin, is a butterfly in the Hesperiidae family. It is found in Namibia. The habitat consists of dry savanna.

The adult wing colouration matches the colour of the leaves of the larval host plants and adults of both sexes feed from the flowers of these plants. They are possibly on wing year round, but are most common in midsummer. Subspecies smithae has been recorded from August to October and in late February.

The larvae of subspecies gaerdesi feed on Petalidium engleranum and the larvae of subspecies smithae on Petalidium variabile.

Subspecies

  • Sarangesa gaerdesi gaerdesi (northern and central Namibia)
  • Sarangesa gaerdesi smithae VĂ¡ri, 1976 (south-central Namibia)
  • References

    Sarangesa gaerdesi Wikipedia