Alaena amazoula

Alaena amazoula, the yellow Zulu, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in southern Africa.

Yellow Zulu
A. a. ochroma, male
Wing underside
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Alaena
Species:
A. amazoula
Binomial name
Alaena amazoula
(Boisduval, 1847)[1]
Synonyms
  • Acraea amazoula Boisduval, 1847
  • Alaena amazoula amazoula ab. orphina Vári, 1976
  • Alaena amazoula f. congoana Aurivillius, 1914

The wingspan is 22–28 mm for males and 25–32 mm for females. Adults are on wing from October to May (with a peak from December to January). There is one generation per year.[2]

The larvae feed on Cyanobacteria species.

Subspecies
  • A. a. amazoula (Eastern Cape to northern KwaZulu-Natal)
  • A. a. congoana Aurivillius, 1914 (southern Zaire, Angola, Namibia)
  • A. a. nyasana Hawker-Smith, 1933
  • A. a. ochroma Vári, 1976 (Swaziland to Mpumalanga, Gauteng, the Free State, Limpopo, North West, Mozambique, Zimbabwe)

References
  1. Alaena 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.


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