Mimacraea marshalli, Marshall's acraea mimic, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.[2] The habitat consists of Brachystegia woodland in hilly country at altitudes ranging from 1,200 to 1,700 metres, as well as open woodland.

Mimacraea marshalli
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Mimacraea
Species:
M. marshalli
Binomial name
Mimacraea marshalli
Trimen, 1898[1]
Synonyms
  • Mimacraea marshalli media Talbot, 1937
  • Mimacraea marshalli nzoia Talbot, 1937
  • Mimacraea dohertyi Rothschild, 1901
  • Mimacraea marshalli dohertyi f. somereni Talbot, 1937

Adults feed from the secretions of scale insects (Coccoidea species). Adults are on wing from October to May.

Subspecies

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  • Mimacraea marshalli marshalli (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, north-eastern and eastern Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Sankuru, Lualaba, South Kivu and Haut-Uele)
  • Mimacraea marshalli dohertyi Rothschild, 1901 (Kenya: highlands east of the Rift Valley, Tanzania: north to the Arusha district)

Mimicry

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M. marshalli is a Batesian mimic of another butterfly found in eastern Africa, Danaus chrysippus.

References

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  1. ^ Mimacraea at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms
  2. ^ "Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Subtribe Mimacraeina". Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2012-10-01.