Apallaga mokeezi, also known as the large sprite, large flat or Christmas forester, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in South Africa (from Transkei to KwaZulu-Natal and Transvaal) and Mozambique. The habitat consists coastal forests and montane forests.[2]

Apallaga mokeezi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Apallaga
Species:
A. mokeezi
Binomial name
Apallaga mokeezi
Synonyms
  • Pterygospidea mokeezi Wallengren, 1857
  • Apallaga separata Strand, 1911
  • Hesperia amaponda Trimen, 1862
  • Celaenorrhinus mokeezi (Wallengren, 1857)

The wingspan is 40–48 mm for males and 45–51 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round in warmer areas with peaks in late summer and autumn.[3]

The larvae feed on Isoglossa woodii (buckweed).

Subspecies

edit
  • Apallaga mokeezi mokeezi - South Africa: from eastern Cape to the southern KwaZulu-Natal coast and midlands
  • Apallaga mokeezi separata (Strand, 1911) - southern Mozambique, Eswatini, South Africa: Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal

References

edit
  1. ^ Celaenorrhinus at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. ^ "Afrotropical Butterflies: Hesperiidae - Subfamily Pyrginae". Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  3. ^ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.