Colotis aurigineus (Butler, 1883)

Liseki, Steven D. & Vane-Wright, Richard I., 2014, Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of Mount Kilimanjaro: family Pieridae, subfamily Pierinae, Journal of Natural History 48 (25 - 26), pp. 1543-1583 : 1555

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2014.886343
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5195893
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/CA1E1B19-3673-227C-FE20-FE0D85B8FB59
treatment provided by	Felipe (2021-08-12 23:52:08, last updated by Plazi 2023-11-03 23:06:51)
scientific name	Colotis aurigineus (Butler, 1883)
status

Treatment

Colotis aurigineus (Butler, 1883) View in CoL

Kielland 1990: 267, 3 figs. Larsen 1996: pl. 6, figs 49 i–iii. d’ Abrera 1997: 72 (5 figs). SI: Figure 13a–d.

Forewing length: male 20.0– 23.5 mm (mean (n = 7) 21.2 mm, SD = 1.275); female 18–21.5 mm (mean (n = 5) 19.86 mm, SD = 0.984).

Records. According to Kielland (1990, p.56), generally common in drier parts of Tanzania, including forest margins and open forest, at 500–2200 m. First recorded from Kilimanjaro by Godman (1885, p.540) at 5000 and 6000 ft, Butler (1888, p.92) as Teracolus venustus Butler, 1888 (a synonym), and Aurivillius (1910a, p.11), extensive material of this species from the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro is present in the BMNH. Three specimens from Loitokitok (ex Brodie), on the northern flank of the massif, are preserved in the OUMNH. Also recorded from Taveta by Butler (1888, p.92) and Rogers (1913, p.98), this species may penetrate the lower reaches of the forest at about 2000 m. However, we have no evidence of this, and it was not encountered at that elevation by Liseki (2009). More widely, the species occurs from eastern DRC, southern Zambia and southern Malawi northwards to southern Sudan ( Ackery et al. 1995; see also Bernardi 1989: map 3).

The butterfly is somewhat variable, but does not exhibit very marked sexual dimorphism or seasonal variation. Form “ansorgei” Marshall lacks grey-dusting at the base of the forewings, and is thought to be a wet season form (see also comment under C. chrysonome ).

References

Ackery PR, Smith CR, Vane-Wright RI, editors. 1995. Carcasson' s African butterflies: an annotated catalogue of the Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea of the Afrotropical Region. East Melbourne (Australia): CSIRO.

Bernardi G. 1989. Les savanes africaines, chorologie et speciation, notamment d' apres le genre Colotis (Lep., Pieridae). Mem Soc Biogegeogra. 3: 84 - 97.

Butler AG. 1888. Descriptions of some new Lepidoptera from Kilima-njaro. Proc Zool Soc Lond. 1888: 91 - 98.

D' Abrera B. 1997. Butterflies of the Afrotropical Region (2 nd edn). Part I. Papilionidae, Pieridae, Acraeidae, Danaidae & Satyridae. Melbourne: Hill House.

Godman FD. 1885. A list of the Lepidoptera collected by Mr. H. H. Johnston during his recent expedition to Kilima-njaro. Proc zool Soc Lond. 1885: 537 - 541.

Kielland J. 1990. Butterflies of Tanzania. Melbourne: Hill House.

Larsen TB. 1996. The butterflies of Kenya and their natural history. 2 nd edn. Oxford (UK): Oxford University Press.

Liseki SD. 2009. Butterfly diversity and its relevance to conservation in north-eastern Tanzania [PhD thesis). Canterbury (UK): University of Kent.

Rogers K, St A. 1913. A list of butterflies collected during the last ten years in British East Africa. Entomol Mon Mag. 49: 45 - 53, 94 - 100, 127 - 130.