Dira swanepoeli

Dira swanepoeli, or Swanepoel's widow, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in the southern slopes of the Blouberg Range in Limpopo, South Africa.^[1]

Swanepoel's widow
Dira swanepoli
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Dira
Species:	D. swanepoeli
Binomial name
Dira swanepoeli (van Son, 1939)
Synonyms
Leptoneura swanepoeli van Son, 1939

Description

The wingspan is 58–65 mm for males and 60–68 mm for females. Adults are on wing from late February to early March. There is one generation per year.^[2]

Habitat and behavior

Adults are observed residing in rocky grasslands with stunted forest clearings, specifically in areas with long grass like Merxmullera.^[3]

The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Eragrostis aspera, Ehrharta erecta and Pennisetum clandestinum.^{[citation needed]}

Subspecies

• Dira swanepoeli swanepoeli (northern Transvaal)
• Dira swanepoeli isolata van Son, 1955 (Blouberg Range in northern Transvaal)