058 Genus Kedestes Watson
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AFROTROPICAL BUTTERFLIES. MARK C. WILLIAMS. http://www.lepsocafrica.org/?p=publications&s=atb Updated 16 January 2021 Genus Kedestes Watson, 1893 Rangers Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1893: 96 (3-132). Type species: Hesperia lepenula Wallengren, by original designation. The genus Kedestes belongs to the Family Hesperiidae Latreille, 1809; Subfamily Hesperiinae Latreille, 1809, Tribe Hesperiini Latreille, 1809. Other genera in the Tribe Hesperiini, are Lepella, Prosopalpus, Tsitana, Fulda, Gorgyra, Gyrogra, Teniorhinus, Flandria, Hollandus, Xanthodisca, Acada, Rhabdomantis, Osmodes, Parosmodes, Osphantes, Acleros, Paracleros, Semalea, Hypoleucis, Paronymus, Andronymus, Malaza, Perrotia, Ploetzia, Moltena, Chondrolepis, Zophopetes, Gamia, Artitropa, Mopala, Pteroteinon, Leona, Caenides, Monza, Melphina, Melphinyet, Noctulana, Fresna, and Platylesches. Kedestes (Rangers) is an Afrotropical genus of 14 species. Apparently closely related to the genus Ampittia (Kielland, 1990d). The majority of species occur in eastern and southern Africa. Only two species are found in West Africa. Morphologically they are of diverse appearance and Larsen (2005a) thinks that the genus may be paraphyletic. The larval hosts are grasses (Poaceae) in 8 of the 14 species in which they are known. *Kedestes barberae (Trimen, 1873)# Freckled Ranger Images of a female Barber’s Ranger (Kedestes barberae) Images courtesy Steve Wooshall Cyclopides barberae Trimen, 1873. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1873: 120 (101-124). Thymelicus barberae (Trimen, 1873). Trimen & Bowker, 1889. Kedestes barberae Trimen. Swanepoel, 1953a. Kedestes barberae (Trimen, 1873). Dickson & Kroon, 1978. Kedestes barberae (Trimen, 1873). Pringle et al., 1994: 325. 1 Kedestes barberae barberae. Male (Wingspan 30 mm). Left – upperside; right – underside. Verlorenvallei, Mpumalanga, South Africa. 6 November 2010. M. Williams. Images M.C. Williams ex Williams Collection. Kedestes barberae barberae. Female (Wingspan 34 mm). Left – upperside; right – underside. Carltonville, North West Province, South Africa. 23 November 2008. J. Dobson. Images M.C. Williams ex J. Dobson Collection. Alternative common name: Barber’s Ranger; Gevlekte wagtertjie (Afrikaans). Type locality: [South Africa]: “Stormbergen, Cape Colony”. Holotype (female) in the Natural History Museum, London. Diagnosis: Antennal club thick; forewing upperside with white spots; underside hindwing with characteristic, bold, irregular shiny white streaks (Kielland, 1990d). Distribution: Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique (Congdon et al., 2010), Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland (Duke et al., 1999), Lesotho. Habitat: Grassland, from sea level in the Western Cape Province to 2 800 metres in Lesotho. Often in marshy areas or along stream banks (Pringle et al., 1994). Most of the former habitat of subspecies bunta, on the Cape Flats, has been destroyed by urbanization and invasion by alien vegetation (Pringle et al., 1994). Habits: Flies rapidly, close to the ground, around grassy areas, frequently settling on grass blades (Pringle et al., 1994). Both sexes are strongly attracted to flowers. Males occasionally hilltop but more usually establish territories near stands of the larval host plants. Kielland (1990d) noted that they perch for long periods on bare ground once the sun has warmed it. Flight period: Double-brooded, flying in October and November, and again in March and April. It is most abundant in October-November but has been found as early as August near Port Elizabeth (Pringle et al., 1994). The subspecies bunta is on the wing in September and October (Pringle et al., 1994). Early stages: Clark, in Dickson & Kroon, 1978: 250; plate 23 [as Kedestes barberae; Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape]. “Egg: Laid singly on grass; 1.3 mm diameter by 0.8 mm high. Milk-white, changing to pale yellow and then salmon and finally brown as larva takes shape inside the egg. There are some 60 very faint and ill-defined longitudinal ribs from the base to about a third of the way up the side, with minute indentations between them. Incubation period 15 days. The shell is sometimes eaten. Larva: 1st instar 3.25 growing to 6.5 mm in 10 days; 2nd instar 6.5 growing to 11 mm in 14 days; 3 rd instar 11 growing to 16 mm in 14 days; 4 th instar 16 growing to 23 mm in 15 days; 5th instar 23 growing to 33 mm in 20 days. The duration of the instars is very variable. Sometimes there is an additional instar between the normal 4th and 5th, attaining a length of 26.5 mm. Larvae draw the edges of grass together to form tubes, in which they live. They feed on the upper end of the blades. Pupation takes place within the grass tube. Pupa: 16.5 mm. There are no cremastral hooks. Emergence after some 23 to 29 days. There is more than one brood a year in the case of some of the races of this butterfly, but not 2 in all of them. K. barberae bunta Evans, from the Cape Peninsula, is certainly single-brooded. The identity of the present race remains undetermined. Recorded from eggs and larvae from Summerstrand, near Port Elizabeth.” Larval food: Imperata cylindrica (L.) Raeusch. (Poaceae) [Murray, 1959; Dickson & Kroon, 1978: 193; as Imperata arundinacea]. Relevant Literature: Adams, 2017 [Habitat requirements]. Kedestes barberae barberae (Trimen, 1873)# Freckled Ranger Cyclopides barberae Trimen, 1873. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1873: 120 (101-124). Thymelicus barberae (Trimen, 1873). Trimen & Bowker, 1889. Kedestes barberae Trimen. Swanepoel, 1953a. Kedestes barberae barberae (Trimen, 1873). Dickson & Kroon, 1978. Kedestes barberae barberae (Trimen, 1873). Pringle et al., 1994: 325. Kedestes barberae barberae. Male (Wingspan 30 mm). Left – upperside; right – underside. Verlorenvallei, Mpumalanga, South Africa. 6 November 2010. M. Williams. Images M.C. Williams ex Williams Collection. Kedestes barberae barberae. Female (Wingspan 34 mm). Left – upperside; right – underside. Carltonville, North West Province, South Africa. 23 November 2008. J. Dobson. Images M.C. Williams ex J. Dobson Collection. Type locality: [South Africa]: “Stormbergen, Cape Colony”. Holotype (female) in the Natural History Museum, London. Distribution: Tanzania (south-west), Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe (east), South Africa (Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga, North West Province, Gauteng, Free State Province, KwaZulu- Natal, Eastern Cape Province), Swaziland (Duke et al., 1999), Lesotho. Specific localities: Tanzania – Crater floor of Mount Rungwe at 2 250 – 2 700 m (Congdon & Kielland, vide Kielland, 1990d); Kitulo Plateau (Elton Range) at 2 600 m (Congdon, vide Kielland, 1990d). Malawi – Nyika N.P. (J. Timberlake, pers. comm., 2019). Zambia – Shiwa Ngandu (Heath et al., 2002); Nyika (Heath et al., 2002). Limpopo Province – Tubex (Swanepoel, 1953); Haenertsburg – Paardevlei (Swanepoel, 1953); 3 Makapan’s Cave (Swanepoel, 1953); Kransberg, Waterberg (Williams, unpub.); Soetdoring Farm [-24.561 28.233] (A. Mayer, pers comm. 2015). Mpumalanga – Barberton (Swanepoel, 1953); Graskop (Swanepoel, 1953); Verloren Vallei Nature Reserve (Warren, 1990); Pilgrim’s Rest (Pringle et al., 1994); Buffelspoort Nature Reserve (Williams). North West Province – Rustenburg (Pringle et al., 1994); Breednek (25 52S; 27 27E) (Williams 30 Nov. 2008). Gauteng – Johannesburg (Swanepoel, 1953); Henley-on-Klip (Pringle et al., 1994). KwaZulu-Natal – Drakensberg (Swanepoel, 1953); Loteni (male illustrated above). Eastern Cape Province – Stormberg (TL); Queenstown (Pringle et al., 1994); Stutterheim (Pringle et al., 1994); Summerstrand (Port Elizabeth) (Clark, in Dickson & Kroon, 1978). Swaziland – Malolotja N. R. (www.sntc.org.sz). Lesotho – Ramatsiliso (Wykeham). Kedestes barberae bonsa Evans, 1956# Eastern Freckled Ranger Kedestes barberae bonsa Evans, 1956. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (12) 8: 883 (881-885). Kedestes barberae bonsa Evans, 1955. Dickson & Kroon, 1978. [date of authorship erroneous] Kedestes barberae bonsa Evans, 1955. Pringle et al., 1994: 325. [date of authorship erroneous] Kedestes barberae bonsa. Male (Wingspan 29 mm). Left – upperside; right – underside. Compassberg, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. 11 December 2009. J. Dobson. Images M.C. Williams ex J. Dobson Collection. Alternative common name: Oos-Kaapse gevlekte wagtertjie (Afrikaans). Type locality: South Africa: “Steynsburg, Cape Province”. Diagnosis: Subspecies bonsa is distinguished by the white markings on the underside of the hindwing, which form two separate lines (Pringle et al., 1994). Distribution: South Africa (Free State Province, Eastern Cape Province). Specific localities: Free State Province – Oranjekrag (Pringles); Cyferfontein [-30.3736 25.8131] (R. Griesel, unpublished). Eastern Cape Province – Steynsburg (TL); Winterberg (Swanepoel, 1953); Lootsberg (Swanepoel, 1953); Burgersdorp (Swanepoel, 1953); Camdeboo Mountains, near Aberdeen (Pringles). Kedestes barberae bunta Evans, 1956# Cape Freckled Ranger Kedestes barberae bunta Evans, 1956. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (12) 8: 883 (881-885). Kedestes barberae bunta Evans, 1955. Dickson & Kroon, 1978. [date of authorship erroneous] Kedestes barberae bunta Evans, 1955. Pringle et al., 1994: 325. [date of authorship erroneous] 4 Kedestes barberae bunta. Male (Wingspan 27 mm). Left – upperside; right – underside. Muizenberg, Western Cape Province, South Africa. 25 September 2011. J. Dobson. Images M.C. Williams ex Dobson Collection. Kedestes barberae bunta. Female (Wingspan 29 mm). Left – upperside; right