Artitropa erinnys, the bush night-fighter, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in South Africa from the East Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, and Transvaal, Zimbabwe and eastern Africa.

Artitropa erinnys
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Artitropa
Species:
A. erinnys
Binomial name
Artitropa erinnys
(Trimen, 1862)[1]
Synonyms
  • Pamphila erinnys Trimen, 1862
  • Artitropa ehlersi Karsch, 1896

The wingspan is 53–57 mm for males and 59–63 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round but are scarce from May to August.[2]

The larvae feed on Dracaena hookeriana, Dracaena afromontana, Dracaena angustifolia, Dracaena fragrans and Dracaena steudneri.

Subspecies

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  • Artitropa erinnys erinnys (southern Mozambique, Eswatini, South Africa: coastal lowland and riverine forest from the eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal coast to Maputaland, spreading to the Limpopo Province)
  • Artitropa erinnys comorarum Oberthür, 1916 (Comoro Islands: Grand Comore, Anjouan)
  • Artitropa erinnys ehlersi Karsch, 1896 (Kenya: Mount Sagala, Teita Hills, Shimba Hills, Tanzania: from the coast inland to Arusha)
  • Artitropa erinnys nyasae Riley, 1925 (eastern Zimbabwe, southern Malawi)
  • Artitropa erinnys radiata Riley, 1925 (Kenya)
  • Artitropa erinnys vansommereni Riley, 1925 (Kenya: Meru, Nairobi, Ngong)

References

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  1. ^ Artitropa 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.