Precis octavia, the gaudy commodore, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is native to Africa. Description Precis octavia was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. The nominate subspecies (Precis octavia octavia) flies from West Africa, through Cameroun, Gabon, Republic of Central Africa, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, north to Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Zimbabwe. It has a wet season form, which is orange with a pinkish flush and black markings on the upperside, and a dry season form which is shining blue with a vivid red band on the hindwing. In his authoritative 2-vol. book "Butterflies of West Africa", Torben B. Larsen states "I believe this species has the most spectacular seasonal dimorphism of any butterfly, and the two morphs were [first] described as distinct species." The southern subspecies (Precis octavia sesamus) also has two seasonal forms: a summer form (natalensis) which is red with black markings, and a winter form (sesamus) which is blue with a line of red markings on the wings. The winter form is slightly larger than the summer form. In both forms the males and females are alike, however the females are slightly larger. Intermediate forms of the gaudy commodore are rare in nature, but can readily be produced in conditions created during captive breeding, displaying a wide range of mixtures of the wing patterns of both forms. Distribution The nominate northern subspecies (Precis octavia octavia) occurs from eastern Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, northern and central DRC, CAR, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia. The southern subspecies of these butterflies (Precis octavia sesamus) is found from the border region of the Eastern and Western Cape in South Africa and along the eastern side of South Africa, to Eswatini, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya. Life cycle Eggs The eggs are tiny, rounded, green domes with ribs running up the sides. Larvae The larvae are variable; orange, or orange with black bands, or almost completely black. The final-instar larvae are black when reared at the lower temperatures associated with the winter form, and bright orange when reared at the slightly higher summer temperatures. Larval food plants are Lamiaceae including Coleus species, Plastostema species, Plectranthus esculentus, Plectranthus fruticosus, Rabdosiella calycina, Pycnostachys reticulata, Pycnostachys urticifolia, and Solenostemon species. Pupae The pupae hang upside down and have a knobbly appearance. By keeping the pupae at