Acraea asema
# Acraea asema

Acraea asema, the speckled orange acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae which is native to the southern subtropics of Africa.

## Range

It is found in Angola, Zimbabwe, central and south-eastern Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and southern Tanzania.

## Description

A. asema Hew. (55 a) is very similar to the preceding species,[ A. violarum ] but on an average somewhat smaller, 36-52 mm., with duller, more grey-yellow ground-colour and smaller black dots, the submarginal dots of the forewing in particular being smaller and rarely all present. Angola, Manicaland, Mashonaland and Nyassaland.

* f. gracilis Wichgr. [now forma of Acraea violarum] only differs in having the marginal band of the hindwing narrow, 1 mm. in breadth. Mashonaland.

## Biology

The habitat consists of dry deciduous woodland.

Adults are on wing year round.

The larvae feed on Tricliceras species.

## Taxonomy

It is a member of the Acraea cepheus species group.

