Butterflies of
Africa
Falcate Acraea
Acraea perenna
DOUBLEDAY, 1847
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
HELICONIINAE
Tribe - ACRAEINI
Acraea perenna,
Wli Falls, Ghana / Togo border
Introduction
There
are about 220 species in the genus Acraea, all
Afrotropical in distribution, with the exception of 3 species (
violae and issoria
from the Oriental region, and andromacha from Australia
& Papua New Guinea ). The vast majority of species are found in the forests and
savannahs of East Africa, while about 60 are found in West Africa.
All
Acraea species have elongate forewings and rounded hindwings. The wings
are thinly scaled and in many species are semi-transparent.
The scales wear off very easily so that insects more than 4 or 5
days old have a glassy or greasy appearance. The majority of species
have a predominantly brownish or greyish ground colour, marked with
bands or patches of red or orange. The basal area of the underside hindwings of most
species is marked with a pattern of small black spots.
Acraea
perenna is widely distributed, being found throughout most of
sub-Saharan Africa with the exceptions of South Africa and Madagascar.
Habitats
This species occurs in localised populations in relatively open or degraded forest, and can be found in
forest-edge habitats including along wide logging roads.
Lifecycle
The larval foodplants include
Olobopetalum ( Menispermaceae ),
Bridelia ( Euphorbiaceae ),
Adenia
( Passifloraceae ) and
Mikania
( Asteraceae ).
Adult behaviour
Males are usually seen singly, imbibing
mineralised moisture from muddy or damp stony ground, including at
patches of urine. If disturbed they take readily to the air, and
have a graceful flight. After a few minutes they usually return to
the same spot. They often will feed with their wings held erect,
at which time they are superbly camouflaged against stony
substrates. In cool or cloudy conditions they bask with the
forewings swept back and slightly raised.
Acraea perenna,
Wli Falls, Ghana / Togo border
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