Acraea acerata

Acraea acerata, the falls acraea or small yellow-banded acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It has an extensive range in sub-Saharan Africa.

Range
It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola, Mozambique, north-western Zimbabwe, northern Botswana and northern Namibia.

Description
A. acerata. Forewing black above with light subapical band and light hindmarginal spot, which is placed in 1a to 3, forms a spot in the cell and often encloses a black discal dot in 1b and in 2; hindwing above light nearly to the base, with or without black dots and with black, usually unspotted marginal band about 2 mm. in breadth. Hindwing beneath with reddish streaks in the basal part and with triangular, black-edged, yellow marginal spots in the lighter or darker marginal band. A. pullula Grünb. entirely lacks the light subapical band of the forewing, but otherwise nearly agrees with tenella and may also be only an extreme form of acerata. Ruanda.
 * acerata Hew. (56 a). Subapical band of the forewing in cellule 3 joined to the hindmarginal spot; light parts of the upper surface yellow-red. Ashanti to Angola and Uganda.
 * f. vinidia Hew. (56 a). Subapical band of the forewing not reaching the hindmarginal spot; light markings of the upper surface brown-yellow to red-yellow. Commoner than the type form.
 * ab. brahmsi Suff. only differs in having the light markings of the upper surface dark brick-red and the spot in the cell of the forewing absent or small. Nigeria and Cameroons.
 * ab. diavina Suff. has on the forewing a small subapical spot, which only consists of three small spots in cellules 4 to 6, and large discal dots in cellules 1b and 2. Cameroons.
 * tenella Rog. is the East African race and is distinguished by the much lighter (white-yellow to whitish) colour of the light markings of the upper surface; the subapical band of the forewing is placed quite free. Nyassaland to Abyssinia.
 * ab. ruandae Grünb. only differs from tenella in the large black discal dots in cellules 1b and 2 of the forewing. Ruanda.

Biology
The habitat consists of disturbed areas in the forest zone, usually near water or in riverine bush.

Both sexes show colour and pattern variation.

The larvae feed on Merremia hederaca, Lepistemon owariense, Solanum, Passiflora, Vernonia, Ipomoea (including Ipomoea whytei, Ipomoea repens and Ipomoea batatas) and possibly Zea species.

Taxonomy
Acraea acerata is a member of the Acraea bonasia species group see Acraea. Classification of Acraea by Henning, Henning & Williams, Pierre. J. & Bernaud
 * Hyalites (group bonasia) Henning, 1993
 * Acraea (Actinote) (subgroup acerata) Pierre & Bernaud, 2013
 * Telchinia (Telchinia) Henning & Williams, 2010
 * Acraea (Actonote)  groupe serena  subgroup acerata Pierre & Bernaud, 2014