Salamis cacta

Salamis cacta, the lilac mother-of-pearl or lilac beauty, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.[2] The habitat consists of forests, including disturbed forest habitats.

Lilac mother-of-pearl
upperside, Ghana
under side, Bobiri Forest, Ghana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nymphalidae
Genus:
Salamis
Species:
S. cacta
Binomial name
Salamis cacta
(Fabricius, 1793)[1]
Synonyms
  • Papilio cacta Fabricius, 1793
  • Salamis cacta languida Bartel, 1905
  • Salamis strandi Röber, 1937

Adults usually fly in the forest canopy, but may descend to suck at damp patches or to settle in the undergrowth. Occasionally, individuals may join migrations of other species. Adults are on wing year round.

The larvae feed on Urera hypselodendron, Urera trinervis, and Urera occidentalis.

Subspecies
  • Salamis cacta cacta — south-eastern Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, western Kenya, Tanzania
  • Salamis cacta amaniensis Vosseler, 1907 — coast of Kenya, north-eastern Tanzania
  • Salamis cacta eileenae Henning & Joannou, 1994 — Malawi, west-central Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe

References
  1. Salamis cacta, Site of Markku Savela
  2. Afrotropical Butterflies: Nymphalidae - Tribe Junoniini


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