Protogoniomorpha anacardii

Protogoniomorpha anacardii, the clouded mother-of-pearl, is a species of Nymphalidae butterfly found in tropical Africa,^[1] and in Arabia (P. a. nebulosa: Saudi Arabia and Yemen)^[2]

Clouded mother-of-pearl
P. a. anacardii, Ghana
Underside
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Protogoniomorpha
Species:	P. anacardii
Binomial name
Protogoniomorpha anacardii (Linnaeus, 1758)[1]
Approximate range   P. a. anacardii (Linnaeus, 1758)   P. a. nebulosa (Trimen, 1881)   P. a. ansorgei (Rothschild, 1904)   P. (a.) duprei (Vinson, 1863)
Synonyms
Papilio anacardii Linnaeus, 1758 Salamis anacardii Salamis anacardii ansorgei Rothschild, 1904 Salamis definata Butler, 1879 Salamis duprei var. billerei Oberthür, 1925 Salamis nebulosa Trimen, 1881 Salamis anacardii var. lurida Niepelt, 1920 Salamis anacardii f. formosa Stoneham, 1965 Protogoniomorpha anacardii nebulosa f. trimeni van Son, 1979

The wingspan of this species is 55–68 mm for males and 65–75 mm for females.^[3]

Its flight period is year-round, peaking in summer and autumn.^[3]

P. anacardii caterpillars eat Asystasia, Brillantaisia, Isoglossa, Justicia, Mimulopsis, and Paulowilhelmia flowers.^[1][3] The dorsal side of this species' wings are stark white with dark spots by the outer margin and two yellow eye spots near the bottom. The ventral side of this species' wings resemble a dead leaf.

Subspecies

• P. a. anacardii — Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, western Nigeria, Central African Republic to the Rift Valley
• P. a. ansorgei (Rothschild, 1904) — Angola, southern Democratic Republic of the Congo
• P. a. nebulosa Trimen, 1881 — Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Saudi Arabia,^[4] South Africa, Eswatini, Yemen

Gallery

• 
  P. a. anacardii
• 
  P. a. nebulosa f. trimeni (female dry-season form)
• 
  P. a. duprei
• 
  P. a. duprei
• 
  P. a. duprei
• 
  Vanesa anacardii (= Protogoniomorpha anacardii) by Dru Drury