Butterfly

Tawny Coster

Acraea terpsicore

Tawny Coster with brick-orange wings and a black, white-spotted border

Scientific name: Acraea terpsicore
Family: Nymphalidae, order Lepidoptera
Group: Butterfly
Wingspan: 45 to 65 mm

A brick-orange flier from a family that mostly lives in Africa.

Spot it Tawny-orange wings with black spots and a black border dotted with white.
Home Open grassland, scrub and gardens; it flies slowly, close to the ground.
Caterpillar food Passion-flower vines and plants of the violet family.
Why it matters Its body is distasteful, so it can fly slowly in the open and still feed the food web as caterpillars.

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