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Dira oxylus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pondoland widow
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Dira
Species:
D. oxylus
Binomial name
Dira oxylus
(Trimen, 1881)
Synonyms
  • Leptoneura oxylus Trimen, 1881

Dira oxylus, the Pondoland widow, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in from the lower Drakensberg foothills from the eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.[1]

The wingspan is 50–60 mm for males and 55–65 mm for females. Adults are on wing from late December to early March. There is one generation per year[2]

The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Ehrharta erecta.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Dira at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. ^ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.