Butterflies of
Africa
Green False Acraea
Pseudacraea semire
CRAMER, 1779
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
LIMENITIDINAE
Tribe - LIMENITIDINI
Pseudacraea semire,
Bunso, Ghana
Introduction
There
are 16 species in Pseudacraea - a wholly
Afrotropical genus. The butterflies are popularly known as False Acraeas because
many of the species are excellent mimics of the glassy-winged true
Acraea species. Pseudacraea
semire however, although having the black basal spots so typical of
Acraeas, seems to bear a stronger resemblance to Graphium
Swallowtails than to anything else.
Birds and reptilian predators see them in their full glorious colour though, and
can certainly make out the details of their wing patterns. It is they that the
mimicry is aimed at fooling, and despite significant differences in size, flight
behaviour and habitat choice, many unrelated but similarly coloured impostors
can pass themselves off as the same species of butterfly. A large number of
palatable butterflies have evolved to do so because birds, having tasted an
unpalatable butterfly, tend to reject any similarly coloured species. Thus the
palatable butterflies survive to produce new generations, alongside their
unpalatable and toxic cohorts.
Pseudacraea semire is distributed from Sierra Leone to Uganda, western
Tanzania and Zambia.
Habitats
This is a forest species, and can be found
in secondary woodland, coastal dry forest, and along riparian edges in woodland
/ savannah habitats.
Lifecycle
The
larval foodplants include Ouratea, Ochna and
Campylospermum ( Ochnaceae ).
Adult behaviour
Males are reminiscent of
Charaxes in behaviour, with a fast
powerful flight, in which they circle around trees and settle on
the upper foliage to look out for passing females. They intercept
almost any large fast butterfly that passes, and usually return to
their original perching leaf. They have acute eyesight that can
detect the slightest movement, so they are very alert and easily
disturbed. If left in peace however they will fully outspread
their wings to bask, displaying the gorgeous green-spotted
upperside. Unfortunately when they do so they are so high up in
the tree that obtaining a photo of the upperside is almost
impossible.
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