Dira oxylus

Dira oxylus, the Pondoland widow, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in from the lower Drakensberg foothills from the eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.[1]

Pondoland widow
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nymphalidae
Tribe:
Satyrini
Genus:
Dira
Species:
D. oxylus
Binomial name
Dira oxylus
(Trimen, 1881)
Synonyms
  • Leptoneura oxylus Trimen, 1881

The wingspan is 50–60 mm for males and 55–65 mm for females. Adults are on wing from late December to early March. There is one generation per year[2]

The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Ehrharta erecta.

References
  1. Dira at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
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