Description:
Species within the genus Eurema (Grass Yellows) range from Asia, Africa, Australia, and Oceania, to the Americas.
The Grass Yellows are generally weak flyers, fluttering low around bushes and flowers.
At least 71 species are currently known.
They are generally difficult to tell apart and what makes it even more difficult is that the sexes often differ slightly and there are different seasonal forms (wet and dry season forms).
The main differences between the species are:
a) the number of black spots on the underside of the forewing, combined with
b) the shape of the (apical) black markings on the upperside of the forewing and
c) the shape of the apical area markings on the underside of the forewing.
Eurema floricola looks very similar to Eurema hecabe but in Eurema floricola the hindwing margin has distinct spots at the end of each vein; they are not joined to one another and never form a band.
In Eurema hecabe, the hindwing margin has a continuous black margin (wet season) or it has spots (normally dry season) which are flattened indicating the remnants of the black margin.
Eurema floricola (sometimes also called Malagasy Grass Yellow) is found in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and on Madagascar, the Comoros, Mauritius, Réunion and the Seychelles.
This is the subspecies Eurema floricola floricola which occurs on Madagascar and in eastern Tanzania.
This is a male.
Dr. David Lees from the Department of Zoology of the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, helped me identify this species.
I met David in Madagascar in January 2014 during his research work in Andasibe-Mantadia NP and had the pleasure to spent a few days together.
David has extensive field research experience in Madagascar and is considered the leading expert on Madagascar butterflies.
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar, 13 January 2014