Variable diadem
Hypolimnas anthedon
The variable diadem is a big African butterfly that comes in lots of different looks. That is why it is called variable. You can see it flying at any time of the year.
Lives in
Africa south of the Sahara, and the islands of Madagascar, Mauritius and the Comoros
Wingspan
7.4 to 9 cm (2.9 to 3.5 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It is a butterfly and cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Like other butterflies, the grown-up drinks nectar. Its caterpillars eat nettles and plants in the nettle family.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🧱wings as wide as 3 toy building bricks⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 21 seconds
How big is Variable diadem compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
Variable diadem about 18 km/h (11 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
A car driving in town about 50 km/h (31 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
Its wings can measure up to 9 centimetres from tip to tip.
2
The girls can grow a bit bigger than the boys.
3
It flies all year round, but there are the most of them in late summer.
4
Scientists know four different kinds of it, called subspecies, living in different parts of Africa.
you asked
Most asked questions about Variable diadem
?How big is the variable diadem?
Its wingspan is about 74 to 90 millimetres. The females can be the biggest.
?What do variable diadem caterpillars eat?
Nettles and other plants of the nettle family.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Hypolimnas anthedon
- Group
- Butterflies
- Family
- Nymphalidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Nymphalidae
- Lives on
- Africa
- Also known as
- Variable eggfly
Where the facts come from
- Hypolimnas anthedon (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Charles J. Sharp. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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