Coeliades forestan

Striped policeman
C. f. forestan, Namibia
C. f. arbogastes, Madagascar
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Coeliades
Species:
C. forestan
Binomial name
Coeliades forestan
(Stoll, [1782])
Synonyms
  • Papilio forestan Stoll, [1782]
  • Thymele arbogastes Guenee, 1863
  • Coeliades arbogastes
  • Hesperia margarita Butler, 1879

Coeliades forestan, the striped policeman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found from Transkei to Zimbabwe and to Botswana, and also in Western Africa, including Burkina Faso. It is also present on Madagascar and Mauritius.

The wingspan is 45–55 mm for males and 55–64 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round in warmer areas with peaks September to April.

The larvae feed on a wide range of plants, including Parinari curatellifolia, Lonchocarpus capassa, Combretum bracteosum, Combretum apiculatum, Solanum auriculatum, Solanum mauritianum, Millettia sutherlandii, Sphedamnocarpus rhamni, Sphedamnocarpus pruriens and Robinia pseudacacia.

Subspecies

Torben Larsen developed a species numbering system for his 2005 publication Butterflies of West Africa. The nominate subspecies is #1207. The 'Larsen' numbers have since been used with permission in A Sharp Eye on Butterflies of Ghana.

Stamps

The Republic of Chad has issued a stamp showing a Coeliades forestan in 2003.

References

  1. ↑ Coeliades at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. ↑ Tom Jamonneau, Abubakar S Ringim, Michel Libert, Andrea C Reyes Camargo, Alain Coache, Jérémy Bouyer, Annotated checklist of the butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of Burkina Faso, West Africa—synthesis and new occurrences, Journal of Insect Science, Volume 26, Issue 3, May 2026, ieag018, https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/ieag018
  3. ↑ Butterflies of Mauritius by J.R. Williams ISBN 99949-22-29-7
  4. ↑ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
  5. ↑ Larsen, Torben B. (2005). Butterflies of West Africa. Stenstrup, Denmark: Apollo Books. ISBN 978-87-88757-43-9.
  6. ↑ Sharp, Charles J.; Sáfián, Sz. (2026). A Sharp Eye on Butterflies of Ghana. Oxford: Sharp Eye Publications and Hungarian Natural Heritage Trust. p. 166. ISBN 978-615-02-5911-6.
  7. ↑ "Briefmarken". Briefmarken (in German). Retrieved 2026-11-04.