Introduction
Antanartia are closely related to Vanessa – the Red Admirals and Painted Ladies.
There are 5 Antanartia species, 4 of which are restricted to the African continental land mass, while the other – borbonica, is found only on Mauritius, Reunion and Madagascar.
Antanartia schaeneia is distributed from Ethiopia to south eastern Africa.
Habitats
In Ethiopia this is a montane species, but it is found at lower altitudes in southern Africa.
Lifecycle
The larval foodplants include Australina, Boehmeria, Pouzolzia and Urtica (Urticaceae).
Adult behaviour
Males perch on the foliage of bushes to await passing females. They will aggressively intercept any largish passing butterfly. When perching they usually hold their wings half-open, but they will bask with wings fully outspread on cool mornings or when temperatures drop late in the afternoon.