Tarsocera cassus, the spring widow, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in South Africa.
| Spring widow | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Tarsocera |
| Species: | T. cassus
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| Binomial name | |
| Tarsocera cassus | |
| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is 42–52 mm for males and 50–57 mm for females. Adults are on wing from September to December (with a peak in October or November). There is one generation per year[2]
The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Lolium temulentum and Haparrhenia hirta.
Subspecies edit
- Tarsocera cassus cassus (northern Cape south to the south-western parts of the West Cape)
- Tarsocera cassus outeniqua Vári, 1971 (Little Karoo and the south-eastern part of the West Cape)
References edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tarsocera cassus.
Wikispecies has information related to Tarsocera cassus.
- ^ Tarsocera 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.