A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Neptis laeta
The Common Sailer or Albizia Sailer (Neptis laeta) is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It is found in Subsaharan Africa. The habitat consists of forests and woodland. Wingspan is 40–48 mm in males and 45–52 mm in females. Adults are on the wing year-round with peak from December to May.
Riverine woodland, near the Mbuluzi river.
Observed in the Mbuluzi Gorge, Mlawula Nature Reserve.
thank you Dr Namgyal for your very supportive comment. Sometimes it's hard to choose the top photo, but this time I really had no choice asI liked the folded wings shot best by far.
thank you jessicaSA for your encouring comment and for taking an interest in my spottings.
I liked the decision of uploading of the folded wing as the lead post as it exaggerated the staccking of white spottings on the wings of the butterfly.
thanks bayucca and Kate for your interaction and all your research to get the ID of this little butterfly.
Bayucca, yes, and the white patches on N. serena are much more rounded, compared with squared off edges on N. laeta. I'm not sure which characteristics are definitive, but too much matches up with N. laeta - we don't yet have a photo of N. serena taken here, so it would have been great if it was that!
When the light catches their wings just right, you get all kinds of colours, similar to the diadems:
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/151...
Kate, did you note the scalopped whitish stripe below the white patches. In Pam's it is a stright line. And there are some tiny stripes on the forewing, in Pam's only spots. Serena has "cloudy" white patches, Pam's and Laeta more "fingery". I am still for Laeta.
thanks Chief. Took a lot of following to get these shots. The darn thing wouldn't settle!
Yes, this is most likely the Common-barred Sailor. The other possibility would be the Serene Sailor, which seems to have slightly different markings:
http://www.treknature.com/gallery/Africa...
Nymphalidae, Limenitidinae, Neptini, Neptis sp. and looks like being Neptis laeta. I would be happy if Kate could confirm.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/leendert3/...
Spotted on Mar 19, 2014
Submitted on May 8, 2014
+1
