Acraea rahira
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Acraea rahira, the marsh acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern Africa. In South Africa it is found from the Western Cape along the coast to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, then inland to Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West.
The wingspan is 35–40 mm for males and 40–50 mm for females. A. rahira Bdv. (55 g). Both wings above light grey-yellow (male) or light grey (female); the veins in the distal part edged with black and at the distal margin widened into long triangular or rounded spots; basal and discal dots free and distinct; discal dots 1 b to 5 on the hindwing placed in an almost straight line and discal dots 6 and 7 forming nearly a right angle with them. The under surface is similar to the upper, only somewhat lighter and with reddish streaks in 1 b, 1 c and the cell between the basal and discal dots; distally to the discal dots runs in la to 5 a whitish transverse band about 2 mm. in breadth, which is basally bounded by a dark line; this line terminates at vein 5 or 6 and is more or less indicated on the upper surface also; it evidently corresponds to the proximal boundary of the marginal band; the latter scarcely... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Marsh Acraea sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 180th most-seen of the 213 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Marsh Acraea in Johannesburg on a given day, against under 5% in April–October and December–January, the lowest months. Those are among Johannesburg's wettest months, with about 80 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Marsh Acraea sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Marsh Acraea sightings, Johannesburg ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Pretoria (South Africa, under 5%).
Same genus: Acraea
The closest relatives of the Marsh Acraea that you can see in Johannesburg (genus Acraea, Acraeas) are Garden Acraea (about 30%) and Dancing Amber (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Marsh Acraea is recorded against all the insects logged in Johannesburg (5 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
