Acraea serena

Acraea serena
Acraea serena
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Tribe: Acraeini
Genus: Acraea
Species: A. serena
Binomial name
Acraea serena
(Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms

Papilio serena Fabricius, 1775
Hyalites serena (Fabricius, 1775)
Telchinia serena (Fabricius, 1775)
and see text

The Dancing Acraea (Acraea serena) is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It is found in South Africa, including the area near the Waterberg.

This is the type species of the old genus Telchinia, which may warrant re-separation from Acraea. However, it might in fact be too close a relative of the type species of Acraea (Garden Acraea, A. horta) to warrant such a move. Formerly, A. serena was often misidentified as Acraea eponina (Small Orange Acraea) or Acraea terpsicore (Tawny Coaster).

It is very likely that the butterfly's black-spotted orange markings are a sign of unpalatability and it may well form part of a mimicry ring with Erikssonia edgei.

References

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