Mylothris rueppellii

Mylothris rueppellii, the Rüppell's dotted border or twin dotted border, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It is found in most of Africa, south of the Sahara. The wingspan is 48–55 millimetres (1.9–2.2 in) for males and 50–56 mm (2.0–2.2 in) for females. Adults are on wing year-round, with peaks in October and from late February to April in southern Africa.[2] The larvae feed on various Loranthaceae species, including Loranthus, Tapinanthus oleifolius and Tapinanthus rubromarginatus.

Mylothris rueppellii
M. r. haemus, Johannesburg, South Africa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Genus: Mylothris
Species:
M. rueppellii
Binomial name
Mylothris rueppellii
(Koch, 1865)[1]
Synonyms
  • Pieris rueppellii Koch, 1865
  • Pieris haemus Trimen, 1879
  • Mylothris rueppellii kikuyuensis f. kaffana Riley, 1921
  • Mylothris ruppellii rhodesiana ab. pallidior Hulstaert, 1924
  • Mylothris rueppellii f. kikuyuensis Bartel, 1905
  • Mylothris rueppellii kikuyuensis f. kenia Riley, 1921
  • Mylothris ruppellii kikuyuensis ab. aspilota Hulstaert, 1924

It is named after the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell, who had travelled in Africa in 1830.[3]

Subspecies
  • M. r. rueppellii (highlands of Ethiopia)
  • M. r. haemus (Trimen, 1879) (southern Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa)
  • M. r. josi Larsen, 1986 (Nigeria)[4]
  • M. r. rhodesiana Riley, 1921 (northern Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, southern Zaire (Shaba), south-eastern Angola)
  • M. r. septentrionalis Carpenter, 1928 (southern Sudan)
  • M. r. tirikensis Neave, 1904 (highlands of Uganda, Kenya and northern Tanzania)

Images from gardens in Johannesburg, South Africa

  • Male
    Male
  • Male underside
    Male underside
  • Female underside
    Female underside
  • Male in flight
    Male in flight

References
  1. Mylothris 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.
  3. "Travelling Among Fellow Christians (1768-1833): James Bruce, Henry Salt and Eduard Rüppell in Abyssinia" (PDF). Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  4. "Afrotropical Butterflies: File D – Pierini - Tribe Aporiina". Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2012-04-30.


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