Butterflies of
Africa
Flip Flop
Leptosia alcesta
STOLL, 1782
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily - PIERINAE
Tribe - PIERINI
Leptosia alcesta,
Bobiri forest, Ghana
Introduction
There are 8
species in the genus Leptosia, of
which 7 are restricted to forested areas of Africa and ( in the
case of alcesta and
nupta ), Madagascar. There is only
one species found outside of Africa, namely
nina, which occurs from the Indian
subcontinent to the islands of south-east Asia.
Leptosia alcesta is found across
the whole of sub-Saharan Africa including Madagascar.
Habitats
This is found in primary and degraded forest, at altitudes
between about 100-600m.
Lifecycle
The
eggs are spindle-shaped, ribbed, pale green in colour, and
laid singly on young terminal leaves of the foodplants.
The
caterpillar is green, glaucous and covered in short setae. It
feeds on various members of the Capparidaceae, primarily
Richea and
Capparis.
The chrysalis
is shaped like that of Eurema and
Gonepteryx. It has a buff or pale
brown thorax and abdomen, and pinkish wing cases. It is
suspended from the underside of a leaf, attached by the
cremaster and secured with a thin silken girdle.
Adult behaviour
Although they
are only distantly related, the flight and general behaviour of
the butterfly is strongly reminiscent of that of the European
Leptidea Wood Whites ( subfamily
Dismorphiinae ). The flight is feeble and erratic, but the
butterflies spend long periods without settling. Their bodies
bob up and down as they slowly flutter low over the grasses,
hence the popular name Flip Flop.
The butterflies are active
mainly in early morning sunshine, and sometimes again in late
afternoon if it is overcast. They hide away in the undergrowth
in the heat of the midday sun.
Both sexes
commonly visit white flowers for nectar.
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