Mylothris agathina, the eastern dotted border or common dotted border, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa, particularly East Africa and southern Africa. In South Africa its range has spread westwards around the coast in the late 20th century, and it now occurs north of Cape Town to somewhat beyond Saldanha.[2]
| Eastern dotted border | |
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| male and female | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pieridae |
| Genus: | Mylothris |
| Species: | M. agathina
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| Binomial name | |
| Mylothris agathina | |
| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is 50–60 millimetres (2.0–2.4 in) for males and 52–65 mm (2.0–2.6 in) for females. The slow-flying adults are on wing year-round, with peaks in October and from late February to April.[3] The gregarious larvae feed on Tapinanthus oleifolius, Tapinanthus rubromarginatus, Erianthemum dregei, Teighemia quinquenervia, Ximenia caffra, Osyris lanceolata, and Osyris compressa (formerly Colpoon compressum).[4] The pupae resemble bird droppings.[2]
Subspecies edit
- Mylothris agathina agathina – Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya (east of the Rift Valley), Tanzania, DRC (south), Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Eswatini and South Africa (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern and Western Cape provinces) [5]
- Mylothris agathina richlora Suffert, 1904 – Cameroon, Central African Republic, DRC (Ituri province) and Uganda[5]
References edit
- ^ Mylothris at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- ^ a b Alan Weaving; Mike Picker; Griffiths, Charles Llewellyn (2003). Field Guide to Insects of South Africa. New Holland Publishers, Ltd. ISBN 1-86872-713-0.
- ^ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
- ^ Manning, John (2008). Field Guide to Fynbos. Cape Town: Struik Publishers. ISBN 978-1-77007-265-7.
- ^ a b "Afrotropical Butterflies: File D – Pierini - Tribe Aporiina". Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
External links edit
Media related to Mylothris agathina at Wikimedia Commons- Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 10
- Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 12
- Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 14
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