Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Small

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Tropical savanna

Range

Sub-Saharan Africa

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Warning Colors

Status

Uncommon

About

A vivid orange-amber butterfly of sub-Saharan Africa whose rapid, flickering flight low over flowering vegetation inspired its poetic common name. Adults show bold black wing margins that occasionally carry small pale spots, and belong to the Acraeini tribe whose larvae are often chemically defended.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2. 2.
   caterpillar

   A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3. 3.
   chrysalis

   A chrysalis hangs sealed and still while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4. 4.
   butterfly

   A winged adult with full scales and coloration, ready to fly and mate.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Nymphalidae

Genus

Telchinia

Species

Telchinia serena