Precis octavia ist ein in Afrika vorkommender Schmetterling (Tagfalter) aus der Familie der Edelfalter (Nymphalidae).
Die Flügelspannweite der Falter beträgt 50 bis 60 Millimeter bei den Männchen und 55 bis 63 Millimeter bei den Weibchen.[1] Ein Sexualdimorphismus liegt nicht vor. Während der Wintermonate zeigen die Flügeloberseiten bei beiden Geschlechtern eine blaue Grundfarbe. Über beide Flügelpaare erstreckt sich in der Postdiskalregion eine Reihe orangefarbener, schwarz angelegter Flecke. Nahe dem Apex sind zwei kleine weißliche Flecke zu erkennen. Die Flügelunterseiten sind dunkelbraun marmoriert und zeigen eine sich über beide Flügelpaare erstreckende weiße Punktreihe. Falter der Sommermonate sind gänzlich unterschiedlich gefärbt. Sie haben auf der Oberseite beider Flügelpaare eine orangerote Grundfarbe, eine schwarze Punktreihe und einen schwarzen Saum. Vom Vorderrand der Vorderflügel erstrecken sich zwei schwarze Streifen bis zur Zelle. Die Flügelunterseiten bilden die Oberseiten in etwas blasseren Farben ab.
Ausgewachsene Raupen erreichen eine Körperlänge von 45 Millimetern, haben eine braune bis schwarze Grundfärbung sowie gelbbraune Querlinien. Auf der Körperoberfläche sind sie mit vielen verzweigten Dornen bestückt. Der Kopf trägt zwei dünne Hörner.[1]
Die Nominatform Precis octavia octavia kommt im Senegal, in Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Kamerun, Gabun, im Kongobecken, dem Sudan sowie in Äthiopien und Somalia vor. Die Unterart Precis octavia sesamus ist in Südafrika, Eswatini, Angola, Mosambik, Tansania, Uganda, Zaire und Kenia heimisch.[2] Die Art besiedelt lichte Wälder, Ödländereien und Savannen sowie Gärten und Parkanlagen.
Die Falter sind in allen Monaten des Jahres anzutreffen. Sie saugen gerne Nektar an Blüten. Bei kalter Witterung sammeln sie sich in Erdlöchern an geschützten Böschungen.[3] Die Raupen ernähren sich von den Blättern von Lippenblütlern (Lamiaceae).[4]
Precis octavia ist ein in Afrika vorkommender Schmetterling (Tagfalter) aus der Familie der Edelfalter (Nymphalidae).
Precis octavia, the gaudy commodore, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is native to Africa.
Precis octavia was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. The nominate subspecies (Precis octavia octavia) flies from West Africa, through Cameroun, Gabon, Republic of Central Africa, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, north to Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Zimbabwe. It has a wet season form, which is orange with a pinkish flush and black markings on the upperside, and a dry season form which is shining blue with a vivid red band on the hindwing.[1] In his authoritative 2-vol. book "Butterflies of West Africa", Torben B. Larsen states "I believe this species has the most spectacular seasonal dimorphism of any butterfly, and the two morphs were [first] described as distinct species."[1]
The southern subspecies (Precis octavia sesamus) also has two seasonal forms: a summer form (natalensis) which is red with black markings, and a winter form (sesamus) which is blue with a line of red markings on the wings. The winter form is slightly larger than the summer form.[2] In both forms the males and females are alike,[2] however the females are slightly larger.[3]
Intermediate forms of the gaudy commodore are rare in nature, but can readily be produced in conditions created during captive breeding, displaying a wide range of mixtures of the wing patterns of both forms.[1]
The nominate northern subspecies (Precis octavia octavia) occurs from eastern Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, northern and central DRC, CAR, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia.[1][2]
The southern subspecies of these butterflies (Precis octavia sesamus) is found from the border region of the Eastern and Western Cape in South Africa and along the eastern side of South Africa,[4] to Eswatini, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya.[2]
The eggs are tiny, rounded, green domes with ribs running up the sides.[5]
The larvae are variable; orange, or orange with black bands, or almost completely black.[5] The final-instar larvae are black when reared at the lower temperatures associated with the winter form, and bright orange when reared at the slightly higher summer temperatures.[2]
Larval food plants are Lamiaceae including Coleus species, Plastostema species, Plectranthus esculentus, Plectranthus fruticosus, Rabdosiella calycina, Pycnostachys reticulata, Pycnostachys urticifolia, and Solenostemon species.
The pupae hang upside down and have a knobbly appearance.
By keeping the pupae at different temperatures (warmer or cooler), the two forms of the adults can be produced, while maintaining pupae at "boundary" temperatures produces transitional forms.[6]
The adults feed on nectar and have a year-round flight period. Regional timing of the onset of dry and wet seasons determines the flight times of the respective wet and dry forms in the nominate subspecies, Precis octavia octavia, which is prevalent in West Africa through Central to north-eastern Africa. The dry season form is expressed as the winter form in the southern subspecies Precis octavia sesame which flies from March to September. The wet season form is expressed in the south as the summer form flying from October to March.[3]
The two seasonal forms are not only different in appearance, but also display different behaviour:
In the nominate subspecies, Precis octavia octavia, the dry season form tends to fly less actively than the more territorial wet season form, and is often quiescent in discreet hiding places even under eaves or indoors.[1] It tends to wander towards the forest zone where it may breed seasonally rather than year-round.[1]
Amongst the southern subspecies, Precis octavius sesamus, the males of the summer form display conspicuous hilltopping, and show both territorial and perching behavior.[7] They fly between one and two meters off the ground with a medium-fast "flap-flap-glide" motion.[3] They are often found in grasslands.[2]
The male winter form rarely hilltops, has a random flight pattern, and is often found near forests.[3] In cold weather, the winter form hibernates in holes or under overhanging rocks.[3] Up to 35 individuals may gather together in these places.[8]
The summer and winter form have been seen mating with each other.[6][9]
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Winter form in the Drakensberg
Winter form – mounted specimen
_on_Rabdosiella_calycina_%3D_Plectranthus_calycinus_(Lamiaceae)_(46557028854).jpg)
Summer form feeding at Plectranthus flowers
A rare transitional form obtained in Kenya
Precis octavia, the gaudy commodore, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is native to Africa.
Precis octavia is een vlinder uit de familie Nymphalidae.[1] De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort is voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1779 door Pieter Cramer.
Deze vlindersoort komt voor in grote delen van Afrika.
De waardplanten zijn coleus, plectranthus, iboza en andere planten uit de familie Nymphalidae.
Bronnen, noten en/of referentiesPrecis octavia is een vlinder uit de familie Nymphalidae. De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort is voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1779 door Pieter Cramer.
Precis octavia (denominada popularmente, em língua inglesa, Gaudy Commodore) é uma borboleta da família Nymphalidae e subfamília Nymphalinae, encontrada na região afro-tropical. Foi classificada por Pieter Cramer, com a denominação de Papilio octavia, em 1777, e sua descrição, inicialmente de sua forma de coloração sempre alaranjada (Precis octavia octavia), foi publicada na obra De Uitlandsche Kapellen Voorkomende In de Drie Waereld-deelen, Asia, Africa en America. Esta é a espécie-tipo do gênero Precis Hübner, [1819].[2]
Ilustração da obra De Uitlandsche Kapellen Voorkomende In de Drie Waereld-deelen, Asia, Africa en America com a descrição original de P. octavia. A borboleta maior é um Papilionidae da região indo-malaia.
Esta espécie possui duas variações de coloração que dependem da umidade relativa em seu habitat, inicialmente sendo classificadas como espécies distintas.[1] A sua variação de coloração azul fora identificada como Precis sesamus por Trimen, em 1883, na obra Transactions of the Entomological Society of London. Suas subespécies possuem distinta distribuição geográfica.[2]
A subespécie do norte (Precis octavia octavia)[5], encontrada no Sudão, Nigéria, Serra Leoa, Etiópia e Somália[2], tem apenas uma forma que é alaranjada com marcas pretas.[5][6]
A subespécie do sul (Precis octavia sesamus) tem uma forma de verão (natalensis) que é alaranjada com marcas negras[7] e uma forma de inverno (sesamus) que é azul com uma linha de marcas vermelhas nas asas.[1][8] A forma de inverno é ligeiramente maior que a forma de verão.[5] Em ambas as formas, os machos e fêmeas são iguais, no entanto as fêmeas são um pouco maiores.[9] Durante o período de transição entre as estações do ano, ambas as formas voam juntas, mas as formas intermediárias são muito raras.[10] É encontrada na África do Sul, Essuatíni[2], República Democrática do Congo[7], Rodésia, Moçambique, Quênia, Uganda, sul do Zaire e Angola.[2]
A região afro-tropical, incluindo a África subsariana, é o habitat de P. octavia sesamus.[2]
A região ao leste do deserto do Saara, é parte do habitat de Precis octavia octavia.[2]
Os verdadeiros habitats desta espécie são a savana, entre arbustos de Acacia e em florestas abertas, mas a espécie adaptou-se a usar uma série de habitats adicionais, incluindo florestas secundárias, arboretos, jardins botânicos e ambientes antrópicos; buscando avidamente o néctar de flores silvestres, podendo ser avistadas em áreas de pastagens; geralmente mantendo suas asas eretas ou entreabertas em pouso, mas também aquecendo-se com sua asas totalmente abertas quando estão no solo ou em folhagem baixa.[10]
Forma de estação seca da subespécie afro-tropical Precis octavia sesamus em seu habitat.[2]
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|acessodata= requer |url= (ajuda) |acessodata= requer |url= (ajuda) Precis octavia (denominada popularmente, em língua inglesa, Gaudy Commodore) é uma borboleta da família Nymphalidae e subfamília Nymphalinae, encontrada na região afro-tropical. Foi classificada por Pieter Cramer, com a denominação de Papilio octavia, em 1777, e sua descrição, inicialmente de sua forma de coloração sempre alaranjada (Precis octavia octavia), foi publicada na obra De Uitlandsche Kapellen Voorkomende In de Drie Waereld-deelen, Asia, Africa en America. Esta é a espécie-tipo do gênero Precis Hübner, [1819].
Ilustração da obra De Uitlandsche Kapellen Voorkomende In de Drie Waereld-deelen, Asia, Africa en America com a descrição original de P. octavia. A borboleta maior é um Papilionidae da região indo-malaia.
