Acraea quadricolor (Rogenhofer, 1891)

Liseki, Steven D. & Vane-Wright, Richard I., 2018, Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of Mount Kilimanjaro: Nymphalidae subfamily Helconiinae, Journal of Natural History 52 (39 - 40), pp. 2511-2552 : 2530

Acraea quadricolor (Rogenhofer, 1891)

Kielland 1990: pl. 44, 10 figs (as Bematistes q. quadricolor , B. q. nr. leptis, B. q. itumbana, B. q. morogoro, B. q. mahale and B. q. uluguru). Larsen 1996: pl. 56, fig. 717i (as A. q. latifasciata). d ’ Abrera 1997: 129 (4 figs; as Bematistes q. quadicolor and B. q. latifasciata). SI: Figure 18a – h.

Forewing length: male 27.0 – 32.5 mm [mean (n = 6) 29.48 mm, SD = 1.426]; female 31.0 – 37.0 mm [mean (n = 5) 33.48 mm, SD = 1.446].

Note: According to Kielland (1990, p. 147), who regarded this species as divisible into seven subspecies, the two specimens illustrated by d ’ Abrera (1980, p. 109, 1997, p. 129, as Bematistes q. quadricolor ) are misidentified subspecies B. q. leptis ( Jordan, 1910), apparently from the Usambara Mts (but see also below). Ackery et al. (1995, p. 244) included the Usambaras in the distribution of the nominate race, and it would seem d ’ Abrera followed this, based on the original draft catalogue due to Bob Carcasson, ca 1978. However, this now appears an academic point only, as Pierre and Bernaud (2014) currently regard A. quadricolor as monotypic, with leptis and all other supposed races treated as synonyms. The upperside hindwing postdiscal band is whitish or yellow in both sexes; the curvilinear upperside forewing postdiscal band seems invariably orangeyellow, but varies greatly in width.