Dira swanepoeli, or Swanepoel's widow, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in the southern slopes of the Blouberg Range in Limpopo, South Africa.[1]
| Swanepoel's widow | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Dira |
| Species: | D. swanepoeli
|
| Binomial name | |
| Dira swanepoeli (van Son, 1939)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The wingspan is 58–65 mm for males and 60–68 mm for females. Adults are on wing from late February to early March. There is one generation per year.[2]
The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Eragrostis aspera, Ehrharta erecta and Pennisetum clandestinum.
Subspecies edit
- Dira swanepoeli swanepoeli (northern Transvaal)
- Dira swanepoeli isolata van Son, 1955 (Blouberg Range in northern Transvaal)
References edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dira swanepoeli.
- ^ "Dira Hübner, [1819]" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- ^ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.