Tuxentius cretosus
| Tuxentius cretosus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Tuxentius |
| Species: | T. cretosus
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| Binomial name | |
| Tuxentius cretosus | |
| Synonyms | |
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Tuxentius cretosus, the savanna pied Pierrot, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Senegal, the Gambia, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda and Kenya.[2] The habitat consists of dry savanna and Guinea savanna.
The larval host plant also serves as the nectar source for the adults. Adult males mud-puddle.
The larvae feed on Ziziphus jujuba. They feed on the underside of the leaves of the host plant, eating only the outer cortex and never through the leaf.
Subspecies[edit]
- Tuxentius cretosus cretosus (Ethiopia, coast of Kenya)
- Tuxentius cretosus lactinatus (Butler, 1886) (Somalia)
- Tuxentius cretosus nodieri (Oberthür, 1883) (Senegal, the Gambia, Burkina Faso, northern Ghana, Mali, northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon)
- Tuxentius cretosus usemia (Neave, 1904) (Uganda, northern and western Kenya)
References[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tuxentius cretosus.
Wikispecies has information related to Tuxentius cretosus.
- ^ Tuxentius at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera
- ^ Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Tribe Polyommatini (part 1)