Sarangesa phidyle, also known as the orange flat or small elfin, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found from Botswana, south-west Africa, Saudi Arabia, Sudan. In South Africa it is found from the eastern Cape to Eswatini, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Limpopo Province, the North West Province and Gauteng.

Sarangesa phidyle
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Sarangesa
Species:
S. phidyle
Binomial name
Sarangesa phidyle
(Walker, 1870)[1]
Synonyms
  • Cyclopides phidyle Walker, 1870
  • Achlyodes besa Mabille, 1891
  • Sape eliminata Holland, 1896
  • Sarangesa eliminata
  • Sarangesa eliminata deserticola Rebel, 1907
  • Sarangesa phidyle f. varia Evans, 1937

The wingspan is 26–38 mm. Adults are on wing year-round, although they are scarcer in winter and the dry season.[2]

The larvae feed on Barleria and Peristrophe species (including Peristrophe hensii).

References

edit
  1. Sarangesa at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.