Butterfly Wing Scale Digital Image Gallery False Acraea
Butterfly The brilliant orange, red and black patterns of the
false acraea butterfly mimic those of other species in order to
provide protection from predators, yet, cannot protect them from
man. The species ranges from the Republic of Cameroon and Gabon,
east across Central Africa through the Congo, and into Western
Uganda. However, the habitat of the false acraea has greatly
suffered from many years of war and the local butterfly
populations may be shrinking. False acraea butterflies are
scientifically described as Pseudacraea clarki and are members
of the family Nymphalidae. The adults have a highly modified
front pair of legs, which are no longer utilized for walking.
Rather, the brush-like legs act as sensory organs used to taste
plants as potential egg hosts and larval food sources. Sexual
dimorphism is highly pronounced in the false acraea species. The
males display burnt oranges and reds, but the larger females are
more golden and are highlighted