Heteropsis perspicua subsp. perspicua perspicua (Trimen 1873

Heteropsis perspicua perspicua (Trimen, 1873)

Larsen 1996: pl. 30, fig. 425 i,ii (as Henotesia perspicua). d ’ Abrera 1997: 225 (2 figs; as Henotesia perspicua). SI: Figure 9e – h.

Forewing length: male 19 – 24 mm [mean (n = 19) 22.21 mm, SD = 1.259]; female 20.5 – 27 mm [mean (n = 13) 24.59 mm, SD = 1.297].

Note: Kielland (1990, p. 83, as Henotesia perspicua) considered this to be a polytypic species, with ‘ a distinct race in Cameroun ’, named in a later publication (Kielland 1994). Only treated as monotypic by Ackery et al. (1995, as Henotesia perspicua), and listed as without representation in Cameroon, because Kielland ’ s 1994 paper came too late for inclusion. Like many Mycaelsina, this species shows seasonal variation, notably with respect to expression of the border ocelli – for which Riley (1925, as Henotesia perspicua) still offers a useful summary in relation to two closely related species, Heteropsis simonsii (Butler, 1877) and Heteropsis teratia (Karsch, 1894), both of which occur elsewhere in Tanzania.

Described by Kielland (1990, p. 84) as ‘ very common in woodland and savanna from sea level to 2150 m... throughout the country in suitable habitats ’. In contrast, noted as ‘ rare ’ during the dry season only at Lake Manyara National Park (Moehlman and Liseki 2003). This butterfly is included here as a member of the lower slopes fauna on the basis of 10 males in OUMNH from Taveta collected at c. 2500 ft by Rogers (see also Butler 1901, p. 23) and, in BMNH, several specimens labelled Kilimanjaro (mostly collected by F. J. Jackson), together with a single male from southeast Kilimanjaro obtained by Cooper at Marangu, 4000 – 5000 ft, during January 1937. Liseki (2009), working at 2000 m upwards, did not encounter this butterfly on Kilimanjaro. Beyond Tanzania H. p. perspicua is found widely in eastern Africa, from Ethiopia to South Africa, but extending west only into parts of Zambia, the Congo Basin and Uganda.