Tuxentius melaena
| Black pie | |
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| Upper and underside of the nominate subspecies | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Tuxentius |
| Species: | T. melaena
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| Binomial name | |
| Tuxentius melaena | |
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approximate range
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| Synonyms | |
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Tuxentius melaena, the black pie or dark pied Pierrot, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Africa.
The wingspan is 19–24 mm for males and 21–25 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round, but are most common from October to March.[2]
The larvae feed on Ziziphus mucronata and probably other Ziziphus species.
Subspecies[edit]
- Tuxentius melaena melaena — South Africa (from Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal coast, inland to Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West) to Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia
- Tuxentius melaena griqua (Trimen, 1887) — Northern Cape, South Africa
References[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tuxentius melaena.
Wikispecies has information related to Tuxentius melaena.
- ^ Tuxentius 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.