Coeliades forestan

{{Short description|Species of butterfly}}

{{Speciesbox

| name= Striped policeman

| image = Coeliades forestan forestan 74262288.jpg

| image_caption = Coeliades forestan forestan, Botswana

| image2 = Striped policeman (Coeliades forestan arbogastes).jpg

| image2_caption = Coeliades forestan arbogastes, Madagascar

| taxon = Coeliades forestan

| authority = (Stoll, [1782])[http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/hesperioidea/hesperiidae/coeliadinae/coeliades/index.html Coeliades] at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms

| 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. It is also present on Madagascar and Mauritius.Butterflies of Mauritius by J.R. Williams {{ISBN|99949-22-29-7}}{{Italic title}}

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.{{cite book|last=Woodhall |first=Steve |title=Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa |year=2005 |location=Cape Town, South Africa |publisher=Struik |isbn=978-1-86872-724-7 }}

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.