Acraea horta
Introduction '''''Acraea horta''''' or the '''garden acraea''' is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Description Seitz's ''Fauna Africana'' Taf. 53''A. horta'' L. (53 e, f) is one of the longest known and commonest Acraeids of the Cape, but it is also native to Pondoland, Natal, Zululand, Transvaal and Zimbabwe. It has a typical wingspan of 45–50 mm for males and 49–53 mm for females. The male is similar to that of ''neobule'', but differs in having the black dots of the fore wing absent or only represented by a dot in the cell and another in 1b, the marginal spots of the hind wing small, elongate and incompletely separated from the ground-colour and the hindwing beneath red at the inner margin and the marginal band. In the female the forewing is almost entirely hyaline and the hindwing above light yellow to grey-yellow, beneath whitish with larger marginal spots, bounded by distinct lunules. The larva is brown-yellow with black transverse lines and yellow 7 lateral and dorsal lines, while the head and spines are black. The larva lives on ''Kiggelaria africana'' and various ''Passiflora'' species. * female ab. ''conjuncta'' Blachier is distinguished by having the discal dots of the hindwing changed into long, broad black stripes.
Biology Adults are on wing year-round, but are more common from October to April.The larvae feed on ''Kiggelaria africana'' and ''Passiflora'' (including ''Passiflora coerulea'', ''Passiflora manicata'' and ''Passiflora mollisima'') and ''Tacsonia'' species.
Taxonomy It is a member of the ''Acraea terpsicore''  species group   -   but see also Pierre & Bernaud, 2014
Gallery Garden Acraea (Acraea horta) (32172511623).jpg|The female imagoEggs of Acraea horta on Kiggelaria africana EOS 01404s.JPG|Eggs on underside of ''Kiggelaria africana'' leafAcraea horta 30019328.jpg|Dorsal view of larva, showing barbed spinesGarden Acraea, Acraea horta seen from beneath pupating on glass 5249.jpg|Pupating on glass, which renders visible the spun silken mat that it grips ontoGarden Acraea, Acraea horta seen from beneath pupating on glass 5257.jpg|Ventral view: pupating on glass, showing details of its crochets which grip the silk matAcraea_horta00.jpg|Pupa and larvaAcreaHortaPupa5618s.jpg|Pupal attachment, by crochets on posterior prolegs, to silken mat spun onto a masonry wall
References
External links * Images representing ''Acraea horta'' at Bold.