Vanessa abyssinica

Vanessa abyssinica, the Abyssinian admiral, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2] The habitat consists of montane forests.

Abyssinian admiral
V. abyssinica jacksoni in Tanzania and V. abyssinica abyssinica in Ethiopia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Vanessa
Species:
V. abyssinica
Binomial name
Vanessa abyssinica
(Felder & Felder, 1867)[1]
Synonyms
  • Pyrameis abyssinica Felder and Felder, 1867
  • Antanartia abyssinica
  • Antanartia abyssinica jacksoni Howarth, 1966
  • Antanartia abyssinica vansomereni Howarth, 1966

The larvae feed on Urtica massaica and Obetia pinnatifida.

This species was traditionally considered to be a member of the genus Antanartia but was recently found to be a member of the V. atalanta species group.[3]

Subspecies
  • Vanessa abyssinica abyssinica — Ethiopia
  • Vanessa abyssinica jacksoni Howarth, 1966 — highlands of Kenya, northern Tanzania
  • Vanessa abyssinica vansomereni Howarth, 1966 — western Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo: east to Kivu and Ituri

References
  1. "Vanessa Fabricius, 1807" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Afrotropical Butterflies: Nymphalidae - Tribe Nymphalini
  3. Wahlberg, Niklas; Rubinoff, Daniel (2011). "Vagility across Vanessa (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): mobility in butterfly species does not inhibit the formation and persistence of isolated sister taxa". Systematic Entomology. 36 (2): 362–370. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2010.00566.x.


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