PSEUDACRAEA BOISDUVALII

PSEUDACRAEA BOISDUVALII (Pseudacraea boisduvalii)

Phylum — arthropoda
Class — insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family — nymphalidae

Genus – pseudacraea

Appearance

The caterpillars are brown with long fringed soft branched outgrowths.

The wingspan is 65–70 mm for males and 75–88 mm for females. The wings are black or dark grey with large orange and purple spots and black dots. The underside is more faded. Females are golden. The coloration differs in different subspecies.

Habitat

It is found in most of Africa, except the north-western quarter.

Behavior

It demonstrates daily activity. Pseudacraea boisduvalii prefer to stay high in the canopy of trees. The flight is fast and powerful. Males are often found on wet ground, where they absorb moisture with minerals.

Diet

The larvae feed on Chrysophyllum, Mimusops (including M. obovata and M. zeyheri), Manilkara discolor and Englerophytum (including E. magalismontanum and E. natalense).

Reproduction

For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 70 x 70 x 90 cm. Females lay eggs one at a time on the surface of the leaf. The eggs are first watery white, then pale golden, oval, about 2 mm in diameter. The incubation period is 5-6 days. It is better to keep the caterpillars in terrariums for 6-8 insects, placing a pot with a forage plant in it. The temperature is 22-25 ^oC at the humidity of 70-80%. The caterpillar develops a little more than a month. The pupa is green with grayish spots. The pupa stage lasts 2 weeks.

In captivity

The mesh terrarium with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary. Daylight time is 12 hours. You can feed butterflies with honey syrup diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1:10.