Bug FAQDusky Acraea
Telchinia esebria · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
It is usually black with distinct white markings on the forewing and hindwing, though the size and shape of these markings vary among forms. It lives in forested areas of southern and eastern Africa, flying slowly among the trees and feeding on flower nectar.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forms differ in the colour of the light markings, the width of the subapical band, the hind-marginal spot, and the dark marginal band on the hindwing.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males have a wingspan of 45 to 55 mm, while females are larger at 53 to 60 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They fly slowly in and around forests and visit flowers for nectar.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on a variety of nettle-family plants such as Urtica, Laportea peduncularis, Urera species, Obetia tenax, Pouzolzia species and Fleurya mitis.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Eggs are oval in shape.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults can be seen year-round but are most common from December to April, the warmer months.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs from South Africa’s Eastern Cape through Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, southern DRC, Angola, Tanzania and eastern Kenya.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Acraea masaris is similar but generally smaller than dusky acraea.
Source: Wikipedia
Questions people ask
When can I see dusky acraea butterflies?
They are present all year but are most abundant from December through April.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
They feed on several nettle-family plants, including Urtica and various Urera species.
Source: Wikipedia
How big are dusky acraea butterflies?
Males are 45 to 55 mm across, females 53 to 60 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are dusky acraea butterflies found?
In southern and eastern Africa, from South Africa’s Eastern Cape to Kenya east of the Rift Valley.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acraea_esebria
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.