Visit the
Molecular Expressions Website

Galleria
Photo Gallery
Silicon Zoo
Chip Shots
Screen Savers
Museum
Web Resources
Primer
Java Microscopy
Win Wallpaper
Mac Wallpaper
Publications
Custom Photos
Image Use
Contact Us
Search
Home

Butterfly Wing Scale Digital Image Gallery

False Acraea Swallowtail Butterfly

The brilliant orange, red and black patterns of the false acraea butterfly mimic those of other species in order to provide protection from predators, yet, cannot protect them from man. The species ranges from the Republic of Cameroon and Gabon, east across Central Africa through the Congo, and into Western Uganda. However, the habitat of the false acraea has greatly suffered from many years of war and the local butterfly populations may be shrinking.

False acraea butterflies are scientifically described as Pseudacraea clarki and are members of the family Nymphalidae. The adults have a highly modified front pair of legs, which are no longer utilized for walking. Rather, the brush-like legs act as sensory organs used to taste plants as potential egg hosts and larval food sources. Sexual dimorphism is highly pronounced in the false acraea species. The males display burnt oranges and reds, but the larger females are more golden and are highlighted by numerous black spots.

Entymologists are not certain whether the mimicry displayed by the false acraea butterfly is Batesian or Müllerian. Batesian mimicry, in which one species is harmful and the other is harmless, is named for Henry Walter Bates, an English biologist who studied tropical butterflies in the 1850's. Müllerian mimicry, named for Fritz Müller, a German zoologist who worked in the Amazon about thirty years after Bates, refers to several unpalatable species that share a similar warning pattern.

The feeding habits of false acraea caterpillars have often caused them to be regarded as agricultural pests. The larvae feed on several different host plants, such as star apples, red-milkwoods, satin leaf, golden leaf, balata, and bully trees. The fruit of the balata and star apple trees are sold commercially in Africa. Since the caterpillars are herbivores of the economically important fruit trees, they are often treated with toxic insecticides. Additional problems for the species include over-collecting, destruction of habitat due to agricultural conversion of forests, and the aftermath of many years of war.

Contributing Authors

Cynthia D. Kelly, Shannon H. Neaves, Laurence D. Zuckerman, and Michael W. Davidson - National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, 1800 East Paul Dirac Dr., The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32310.


BACK TO THE BUTTERFLY WING SCALE IMAGE GALLERY

BACK TO THE DIGITAL IMAGE GALLERIES

Questions or comments? Send us an email.
© 1995-2022 by Michael W. Davidson and The Florida State University. All Rights Reserved. No images, graphics, software, scripts, or applets may be reproduced or used in any manner without permission from the copyright holders. Use of this website means you agree to all of the Legal Terms and Conditions set forth by the owners.
This website is maintained by our
Graphics & Web Programming Team
in collaboration with Optical Microscopy at the
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
Last Modification Friday, Nov 13, 2015 at 02:19 PM
Access Count Since January 21, 2003: 9102
Visit the website of our partner in introductory microscopy education: