Butterflies and skippers of the afrotropical region

The eggs are laid in a single layer, spaced out. Mean clutch size is 162 (n=3). The eggs, larvae and pupa of H. viviana and H. eponina are very similar (on casual examination).

“In March 1888 I received from Mr. J.M. Hutchinson a number of specimens of the pupa of this species (from larvae collected at Estcourt, Natal), four of which were still alive and yielded the perfect insect. This pupa, though smaller and more slender, is not at all unlike that of A. Horta; the ground being white or creamy, with the outlines of the wings and neuration strongly marked with black, and the abdomen having on each side sub-dorsal and an inferior-lateral continuous chain-like series of orange-yellow spots in black rings. On back, two longitudinal black streaks from head, meeting and thickening on middle of thorax, and thence narrowing to a common terminal point on first abdominal segment. Eye-cases black superiorly; black on wing-cases most strongly developed near apex, along hind-margin, and along line of median nervure and its first nervule. Length, 7-8 lines.”

“Egg. Eggs are laid in clusters of from 20 to 80 on a young shoot of the food-plant, generally near the tip. They are pale yellow when laid, changing through light chocolate to dark purple. There are 23-24 longitudinal ribs braced by some 24 double indentations. The eggs are 0.7 mm in diameter by 0.75 mm high, and hatch after 11 days. Larva. There are either six, or seven larval instars. The first instar is 1.5 mm long at hatching, of a pale, almost transparent olive, which changes to yellow with a greenish tint on the leading segments, and dull salmon on the final segments. They feed together under a slight web protection. The instar lasts 7 days and the larvae grow to 3 mm. In the second instar the body is covered with minute hairs; there are two extreme colour forms as well as intermediate ones. One extreme is chocolate, gradually changing to olive with a brownish tint; the protuberances are black with white-tipped brown spines. The other extreme is pale dull yellow throughout, including the protuberances. All larvae in this instar have black heads. The instar lasts some six days and the gregarious larvae grow to 5.5 mm. The variation is more pronounced in the third instar which lasts 7 days, and the larvae grow to 8.5 mm. The fourth instar lasts 6 days in the 6-instar larvae, which grow to 15 mm, while in the 7-instar larvae it lasts 7 days, and the larvae grow to only 13.5 mm. The fifth instar is very much the same as the fourth, and the larvae grow to 22 mm in 6 days (6-instar group), or to 16 mm in 7 days (7-instar group). In the final instar of the 6-instar group, the larvae reach the length of 30 mm in about 12 days, but in the 7-instar group the sixth instar lasts 9 days, and the larvae grow to 20 mm, the final instar taking about another 14 days, the larvae growing to 30 mm. The only difference in the final one or two instars is that the larvae scatter, although they do not move far from each other. Pupa. The pupae are suspended by cremastral hooks and are about 18 mm long. Emergence takes place in 12 to 14 days.”

Synonym of Acraea anacreon bomba Grose-Smith, 1889. Ackery et al., 1995: 251.

Synonym of Acraea anacreon bomba Grose-Smith, 1889. Ackery et al., 1995: 251.