Alaena nyassa

Pied Zulu
In Adalbert Seitz's Fauna Africana
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Alaena
Species:	A. nyassa
Binomial name
Alaena nyassa Hewitson, 1877[1]
Synonyms
Alaena major Oberthür, 1888

Alaena nyassa, the pied Zulu, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.[2] The habitat consists of riverine woodland, grassy places in savanna regions, montane grassland with rocky outcrops, forest margins, heavy woodland and rocky streams.

Adults have been recorded nearly year round, except June and July.

The larvae feed on cyanobacteria growing on rocks.

Subspecies

• Alaena nyassa nyassa (Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe)
• Alaena nyassa major Oberthür, 1888 (north-eastern Tanzania)
• Alaena nyassa marmorata Hawker-Smith, 1933 (Democratic Republic of the Congo: Haut-Lomani and Lualaba, Zambia: Copperbelt to the east and north-east)

References

1. Alaena at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms
2. "Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Subtribe Pentilina". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2012-09-21.