March 2010 METAMORPHOSIS, VOL. 21, No. 1 1 METAMORPHOSIS ISSN 1018-6490 CONTENTS Taxonomic notes on the afrotropical taxa of the tribe Acraeini Boisduval, 1833 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae) By Graham A. Henning and Mark C. Williams ................................. 2 Life History of Saffron Sapphire Iolaus (Aphniolaus) pallene (Wallengren, 1857) compared to that of Bowker's Marbled Sapphire Stugeta bowkeri tearei Dickson, 1980 By Steve E. Woodhall ..................................................................... 39 Front cover: Iolaus pallene ♂ bred ex iMfolozi Back cover, left column: Iolaus pallene , bred ex iMfolozi, early stages: Top left Eggs nd 2 row left 1st instar larva 3rd row left 2nd instar larva 4th row left 3rd instar larva 5th row left 4th instar larva 6th row left Prepupa Bottom left Pupa Back cover, right column: Stugeta bowkeri tearei , bred ex iMfolozi, early stages: Top right Egg 2nd row right 1st instar larva 3rd row right 2nd instar larva 4th row right 3rd instar larva 5th row right 4th instar larva 6th row right Prepupa Bottom right Pupa Front & back cover photographs by S. Woodhall 2 METAMORPHOSIS, VOL. 21, No. 1 March 2010 Taxonomic notes on the afrotropical taxa of the tribe Acraeini Boisduval, 1833 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae) (1) (2) By Graham A. Henning and Mark C. Williams (1) 17 Sonderend Str., Helderkruin, 1724, Gauteng, South Africa (2) 183 van der Merwe Street, Rietondale, 0084, Gauteng, South Africa Abstract The tribe Acraeini Boisduval, 1833 of the subfamily Heliconiinae Swainson, 1822 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the Afrotropical Region is reviewed with regard to recent publications pertaining to its taxonomy. Key words Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Heliconiinae, Acraeini, Acraea, Telchinia, Rubraea, Stephenia, Bematistes, Auracraea, Alacria, Hyalites, phylogenetics. The tribe Acraeini in the Afrotropics is a paraphyletic group of taxa requiring a comprehensive phylogenetic review (Silva-Brandão et al., 2008). Recent events detailed hereunder require a temporary evaluation of the African species until such time as a comprehensive review is undertaken. Pierre & Bernaud (1999) published an investigation into the taxonomic history and early stages of Acraea terpsichore (Linnaeus, 1758). This species was, at the time, designated as a senior subjective synonym of Acraea serena (Fabricius, 1775) (Papilio). Upon investigation, it was found that Linnaeus had actually described a common Indian species. Fabricius (1793) erroneously described it again as Papilio violae, this name was still in use at the time of Pierre & Bernaud's publication. It was also found that Fabricius' Papilio serena was the common Acraea eponina, which had been described as Papilio eponina by Cramer in 1780, and was, until the aforementioned publication, in common use. Acraea serena therefore replaced Acraea eponina and Acraea terpsichore replaced Acraea violae. The raising of Acraea serena made the genus name Telchinia Hübner, [1819], with its type species Papilio serena, available as it had previously been synonymised with Acraea. Telchinia pre-dates Hyalites Doubleday, 1848 (in Doubleday & Westwood, [1846-52]) and therefore takes precedence over Hyalites, which had been used by Henning (1992; 1993a, b); however, subsequent to these contributions some publications on the African species followed Pierre (1987), who recognized only Acraea Fabricius as the sole constituent genus of the tribe. March 2010 METAMORPHOSIS, VOL. 21, No. 1 3 In this paper all species hitherto placed in Hyalites are transferred to Telchinia, where applicable. Bematistes Hemming, which was retained as a genus name by Henning (1992), is accorded subgeneric rank within Acraea, largely due to their shared host-plants (Passifloraceae), while Telchinia species use Urticaceae as their principal host-plant family. Relevant sections of Williams (2008) have been used in the preparation of this paper. The conclusions regarding taxonomy of a recent phylogenetic study of the Acraeini by Silva-Brandão et al. (2008) were: (1) Acraea should be used temporarily at generic level for the mainly Passifloraceae- feeding afrotropical members of the tribe, until further sampling better defines the natural groups in this paraphyletic genus. (2) Telchinia Hübner, [1819] [type species: Papilio serena Fabricius, 1775, more familiar as its junior synonym Acraea eponina (Cramer, [1780]) and formerly known as Acraea terpsichore (L., 1758); see Larsen, 2005] would be revived at generic level for the mainly Urticaceae-feeding species included by Pierre (1987) in his subgenus Actinote (“Old World Actinote ” in this paper), and (3) Actinote Hübner, [1819] should be expanded to include all neotropical Acraeini. Until such time as further research is undertaken to resolve the problem of paraphyly of the afrotropical Acraeini, we will use Henning (1992, 1993a, b) as a basis for current taxonomy as these contributions have formed the basis for regional reference works such as Pringle et al. (1994) and Woodhall (2005). Larsen (2005) refers to Henning (1992, 1993a, b) as having a limited number of characters as compared to the contribution by Pierre (1987), which, although a thorough analysis, was, according to Henning, too complex. Henning proposed, among other things, that the genus Actinote be restricted to the neotropics, which has subsequently been confirmed by Silva-Brandão et al. (2008), unlike Pierre (loc. cit.), who lumped the neotropical and afrotropical Acraeini together. Henning (loc. cit.) focused on the characters which are the basis of butterfly taxonomy, the morphology of the body, legs, wings and genitalia and showed from synapomorphic characters that the afrotropical Acraeini can be separated into seven subgenera. These groups are indicated in the phylogenetic tree inferred by Bayesian analysis proposed by Silva-Brandão et al. 2008 (Fig. 4), although only a limited number of species were included. Pierre's work, which has been followed by Larsen (2005), created a number of groups and subgroups. Henning (loc. cit.), along with the genera and subgenera, also proposed groups and species groups for all the African Acraeini; none of these will be included in this work. Some taxonomic changes were made to the South African Acraeini in Henning et al. (2009). 4 METAMORPHOSIS, VOL. 21, No. 1 March 2010 Family Nymphalidae Swainson, 1827 Subfamily Heliconiinae Swainson, 1822 Tribe Acraeini Boisduval, 1833 Subtribe Acraeina Boisduval, 1833 Genus Acraea Fabricius, 1807 In: Illiger, K., Magazin für Insektenkunde 6: 284 (277-289). Type-species: Papilio horta Linnaeus, by subsequent designation (Scudder, 1875. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 10: 101 (91-293). Key to the subgenera of genus Acraea 1. All forewing radial veins stalked, not branching off from cell, cell of hind wing slightly more than one-third of total wing length … Bematistes - R1 branching off from cell, cell of hind wing about half total wing length … 2 2. Aedeagus thin, needle-like … Acraea - Aedeagus narrow but not needle-like …. 3 3. Aedeagus anteriorly bifid, aedeagus and saccus not very elongated … Rubraea - Aedeagus not anteriorly bifid, aedeagus and saccus very elongated …Stephenia Subgenus Acraea Fabricius, 1807 Legs: Anterior legs without terminal spine. Wing venation: Radial veins of forewing not stalked; R1 branching off from cell rather than stalked. Cell of hind wing about half of total wing length. Male genitalia: Aedeagus thin, needle like; sclerotized and modified 8th tergite and sternite often present (the 8th tergite and sternite forms part of the pregenital abdomen but are here highly sclerotized and modified in shape to apparently affect the workings of the genitalia); valves elongate, broad basally, may be inwardly curved or have inward projections; uncus beak-shaped and elongate. Female genitalia: Sterigma usually taking the form of a large plate; ostium central; ductus short, of even width and sclerotized; bursa spherical; signa very small or absent. Early stages: Egg short, ovoid, almost as broad as high. Foodplants: Passifloraceae, Turneraceae, Malvaceae, Flacourtiaceae, Violaceae, Celastraceae, Verbenaceae, Achariaceae, Tiliaceae, Convolvulaceae, Euphorbiaceae. March 2010 METAMORPHOSIS, VOL. 21, No. 1 5 Acraea anemosa ♂: A. Coetzer Acraea (Acraea) acara Hewitson, 1865 Acraea acara Hewitson, 1865 in Hewitson, 1862-6. Illustrations of new species of exotic butterflies 3: 16 (124 pp.). London. Acraea (Acraea) acara acara Hewitson, 1865 Acraea (Acraea) acara melanophanes Le Cerf, 1927 Acraea zetes sufferti form melanophanes Le Cerf, 1927. Encyclopédie Entomologique (B. 3. Lepidoptera) 2: 50 (44-58). Acraea (Acraea) admatha Hewitson, 1865 Acrae [sic] admatha Hewitson, 1865 in Hewitson, 1862-6. Illustrations of new species of exotic butterflies 3: 15 (124 pp.). London. Acraea (Acraea) anemosa Hewitson, 1865 Acraea anemosa Hewitson, 1865 in Hewitson, 1862-6. Illustrations of new species of exotic butterflies 3: 15 (124 pp.). London. Acraea (Acraea) barberi Trimen, 1881 Acraea barberi Trimen, 1881. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1881: 433 (433-445). Acraea (Acraea) boopis Wichgraf, 1914 Acraea admatha f. boopis Wichgraf, 1914. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitung 1914: 346 (345-353). Acraea (Acraea) boopis boopis Wichgraf, 1914 Acraea (Acraea) boopis ama Pierre, 1979 Acraea boopis ama Pierre, 1979. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (N.S.) 15: 734 (719-737). Acraea (Acraea) boopis choloui Pierre, 1979 Acraea boopis choloui