Precis pelarga

Precis pelarga, the fashion commodore, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae which is native to tropical sub-Saharan Africa.

Fashion commodore
Wet-season form, São Tomé and Príncipe
Dry season form, Uganda
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Precis
Species:	P. pelarga
Binomial name
Precis pelarga (Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
Papilio pelarga Fabricius, 1775 Vanessa galami Boisduval, 1833 Papilio leodice Cramer, 1777 Papilio harpyia Fabricius, 1781 Papilio trullus Herbst, 1794 Precis harpyia (Fabricius, 1781) Precis monroviana Staudinger, 1885 Precis pelarga f. moyambensis Wichgraf, 1921 Kallimula pelarga f. proetigiana Stoneham, 1965

Description

Precis pelarga has a wingspan reaching about 43–51 millimetres (1.7–2.0 in). The forewings are falcate. A clearer band crosses the forewings and hindwings. This band is orange-white in the wet season, bluish white in the dry season (seasonal polymorphism). The basal area of the wings is brown, while the margins are blackish, with a series of small white spots. The undersides of the wings are variegated, with yellowish-brown cryptic colours, mimicking dead leaves. Larvae feed on Solenostemon and Coleus (Lamiaceae species).

Distribution

This species is present in tropical Africa (Senegal, Angola, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, western Kenya, Ethiopia, and Eritrea).

Habitat

Precis pelarga can be found in open forests and in savannah, at an elevation of about 0–1,350 metres (0–4,429 ft) above sea level.

Underwing of an individual in southern Benin

References

• "Precis Hübner, [1819]" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms

External links

• Learn about butterflies
• Fleeting Wonders
• Precis pelarga at Tree of Life web