Sarangesa Moore 1881

COCK, MATTHEW J. W. & CONGDON, T. COLIN E., 2011, Observations on the biology of Afrotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera) principally from Kenya. Part 3. Pyrginae: Celaenorrhinini, Zootaxa 3033 (1), pp. 1-67 : 46

Sarangesa Moore 1881

This genus was established on the species S. albicilia Moore from Sri Lanka. About 20 species are known from Africa, of which half are found in Kenya.

The recorded food plants are all Acanthaceae . Caterpillars are usually green with a dark head which is rugose with varied pale setae. Leaf shelters tend to be triangular where the leaves are big enough, but can also be rolled leaves in the case of narrow-leaved food plants. The pupae are usually green, smooth and covered with white waxy powder. Thus, the biology is quite close to Eretis .

Adults do come to flowers (some species more than others) and at least some will feed at bird droppings. In Kenya, the species found in forested habitats ( S. haplopa Swinhoe , S. motozi (Wallengren) , S. maculata (Mabille) , S. brigida (Plötz)) rest on leaves, usually 1–2 m from the ground, along forest paths and at the edge of clearings, whereas those of drier habitats ( S. phidyle (Walker) , S. seineri Strand ) seek out shade to rest. I have seen S. phidyle congregate in shade in quite large numbers, and S. seineri is reported to collect around shady trees ( Larsen 1991). I do not know if the other Kenyan arid habitat species, S. princei Karsch , does so but perhaps not, since Larsen (pers. comm. 2011) advises that it will be transferred to Eretis , and this behaviour has not been reported for that genus.

Reported food plants for African species not covered below include Justicia seslerioides (= Petalidium engleranum and P. latifolium ) for S. gaerdesi Evans ( Dickson & Kroon 1978) . Pringle et al. (1994) repeat this, and give the food plant for ssp. smithae Vári as P. variabile . Larsen (2005) suggests S. bouvieri (Mabille) , which is found from West Africa to western Kenya, almost certainly feeds on “low-growing Acanthaceae in secondary habitats”. Henning et al. (1997) illustrate the caterpillar and food plant of S. seineri durbana Evans , and give the food plant as Peristrophe hensii (Acanthaceae) .