Tuxentius melaena

Tuxentius melaena
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Tuxentius
Species:	T. melaena
Binomial name
Tuxentius melaena (Trimen, 1887)[1]
Synonyms
Lycaena melaena Trimen, 1887 Castalius melaena Lycaena griqua Trimen, 1887

The Black Pie or Dark Pied Pierrot (Tuxentius melaena) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. 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

• Tuxentius melaena melaena (South Africa (East Cape to KwaZulu-Natal coast, then into Gauteng, Mpumalanga, the Limpopo Province and North West Province) to Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia)
• Tuxentius melaena griqua (Trimen, 1887) (North Cape)

References

1. ^ Tuxentius, Site of Markku Savela
2. ^ Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2005.