Precis (butterfly)

Precis
File:Garden Inspector, Africa.jpg
Garden Inspector (Precis archesia), Tanzania
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Subfamily:	Nymphalinae
Tribe:	Junoniini
Genus:	Precis Hübner, [1819]
Species
See text
Synonyms
Coryphaeola (Butler, 1878) Kallimula (Holland, 1920)

Precis is a genus of nymphalid butterflies, described by Jacob Hübner in 1819. They are commonly known as commodores and are found in Africa. Two species are endemic to Madagascar.

Description

Precis are medium to large butterflies (wingspan up to 5 cm).The upperside ground colour is black with white, pink, green, or blue spots and bands, the upper side may also have a brownish ground color.The wings often have eye spots. The outer wing margins are wavy and toothed or scalloped. The species tend to have rainy season and dry season forms which can look quite different.Many of the species can occur in several other colour forms (morphs).

Biology

Precis are savannah species.They are good fliers. The larvae feed on Lamiaceae.

Taxonomy

The genus Precis is closely allied to Junonia.The 2 genera differ in the structure of their genitalia and larval foodplant choice.The type species of the genus is Precis octavia Cramer.

Species

Listed alphabetically.

• Precis actia Distant, 1880 – Air commodore
• Precis andremiaja Boisduval, 1833
• Precis antilope (Feisthamel, 1850) – Darker commodore
• Precis archesia (Cramer, [1779]) – Garden inspector or Garden commodore
• Precis ceryne (Boisduval, 1847) – Marsh commodore
• Precis coelestina Dewitz, 1879
• Precis cuama (Hewitson, 1864)
• Precis eurodoce (Westwood, 1850)
• Precis frobeniusi Strand, 1909
• Precis limnoria (Klug, 1845) – White-spotted commodore
• Precis milonia C. & R. Felder, [1867]
• Precis octavia (Cramer, [1777]) – Gaudy commodore
• Precis pelarga (Fabricius, 1775) – Fashion commodore
• Precis rauana (Grose-Smith, 1898)
• Precis sinuata Plötz, 1880 – Wide-banded commodore
• Precis tugela Trimen, 1879 – Eared commodore

Incertae sedis

• Precis permagna Martin, 1920

References

• Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 51 et seq.

External links

Images representing Precis at EOL