Precis octavia, the gaudy commodore, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.

[1] The nominate northern subspecies (Precis octavia octavia) occurs from eastern Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, northern and central DRC, CAR, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia.

[1][2] The southern subspecies of these butterflies (Precis octavia sesamus) is found from the border region of the Eastern and Western Cape in South Africa and along the eastern side of South Africa,[4] to Eswatini, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya.

Regional timing of the onset of dry and wet seasons determines the flight times of the respective wet and dry forms in the nominate subspecies, Precis octavia octavia, which is prevalent in West Africa through Central to north-eastern Africa.

[1] Amongst the southern subspecies, Precis octavius sesamus, the males of the summer form display conspicuous hilltopping, and show both territorial and perching behavior.

[2] The male winter form rarely hilltops, has a random flight pattern, and is often found near forests.