Dira swanepoeli

Swanepoel's widow
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Dira
Species:	D. swanepoeli
Binomial name
	Dira swanepoeli; (van Son, 1939)
Synonyms
	Leptoneura swanepoeli van Son, 1939;

Dira swanepoeli, or Swanepoel's widow, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in the southern slopes of the Blouberg Range in Limpopo, South Africa.[1]

The wingspan is 58–65 mm for males and 60–68 mm for females. Adults are on wing from late February to early March. There is one generation per year.[2]

The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Eragrostis aspera, Ehrharta erecta and Pennisetum clandestinum.

Subspecies

Dira swanepoeli swanepoeli (northern Transvaal)
Dira swanepoeli isolata van Son, 1955 (Blouberg Range in northern Transvaal)

References

"Dira Hübner, [1819]" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.

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

[2] Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.