Observations on the Biology of Afrotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera) with particular reference to Kenya. Part 11. Heteropterinae
Author
Cock, Matthew J. W.
Author
Congdon, T. Colin E.
text
Zootaxa
2017
4226
4
487
508
journal article
37249
10.11646/zootaxa.4226.4.3
1bb0d3bf-fac9-4d4c-8d95-af3e2f12ddeb
1175-5326
265090
8753ADEF-2888-46CD-A6DE-6BDF9D3CE0DC
Metisella trisignatus trisignatus
Neave, 1904
The
species was described from
Entebbe
,
Uganda
(
Neave
1904
), but this is may be an error (
Ackery
et al
. 1995
).
Subspecies
trisignatus
was thought to be restricted to the
western Highlands
of
Kenya
and
northern Tanzania
, but
T.B. Larsen
(unpublished) knew of records from highland forests of eastern and north-eastern
Uganda
and southern
South
Sudan, and
TCEC
has found it as far south as the Udzungwas in
Tanzania
.
Subspecies
tanga
Evans occurs in the highlands of central and
western Tanzania
and north-east
Zambia
(
Ackery
et al
. 1995
,
T.B. Larsen
unpublished).
This species always has three strong orange spots on the fore wing upper side. Occasional specimens of
M. quadrisignatus
have reduced spotting, but it is the spot in space 5 which is lost first, so the markings never coincide with those of
M. trisignatus
. MJWC has not found the range of these two species to overlap, but this is not based on extensive collecting.
Restricted to suitable parts of western
Kenya
, in MJWC’s experience this is mostly a forest species, although its capture at the
Kisii
Hotel
,
Kisii
(see also
M. willemi
), suggests it is more adaptable than that. Adult behaviour is similar to that of other orange spotted species of the genus (
Figure 22
). It is an occasional feeder at damp mud in
Kakamega
Forest
.
Larsen (1991)
states that the food plants are various grasses, but this is an assumption. A possible caterpillar is described in the introduction to this section above (
Figure 21
).