Mimacraea marshalli

Mimacraea marshalli, Marshall's acraea mimic, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.[2] The habitat consists of Brachystegia woodland in hilly country at altitudes ranging from 1,200 to 1,700 metres, as well as open woodland.

Mimacraea marshalli
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Mimacraea
Species:
M. marshalli
Binomial name
Mimacraea marshalli
Trimen, 1898[1]
Synonyms
  • Mimacraea marshalli media Talbot, 1937
  • Mimacraea marshalli nzoia Talbot, 1937
  • Mimacraea dohertyi Rothschild, 1901
  • Mimacraea marshalli dohertyi f. somereni Talbot, 1937

Adults feed from the secretions of scale insects (Coccoidea species). They were noted to stroke the insects with their antennae while feeding from their secretions. Adults are on wing from October to May.

The larvae feed on dark, blue-green (or black) algae (cyanobacteria) growing on tree trunks. They are brown, densely hairy and very mobile.

Subspecies
  • Mimacraea marshalli marshalli (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, north-eastern and eastern Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Sankuru, Lualaba, South Kivu and Haut-Uele)
  • Mimacraea marshalli dohertyi Rothschild, 1901 (Kenya: highlands east of the Rift Valley, Tanzania: north to the Arusha district)

Mimicry

M. marshalli is a Batesian mimic of another butterfly found in eastern Africa, Danaus chrysippus.

References
  1. Mimacraea at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms
  2. "Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Subtribe Mimacraeina". Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2012-10-01.


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