Dira oxylus

Dira oxylus
Dira oxylus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Tribe: Satyrini
Genus: Dira
Species: D. oxylus
Binomial name
Dira oxylus
(Trimen, 1881)
Synonyms
  • Leptoneura oxylus Trimen, 1881

The Pondoland Widow (Dira oxylus) is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It is found in from the lower Drakensberg foothills from the eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa[1].

The wingspan is 50-60 mm for males and 55-65 mm for females. Adults are on wing from late December to early March. There is one generation per year[2]

The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Ehrharta erecta.

References

  1. ^ Dira, Site of Markku Savela
  2. ^ Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town:Struik Publishers, 2005.
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