Eicochrysops messapus

Eicochrysops messapus, the cupreous blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae.[2] It is found in Africa. In South Africa it is rare and only known from the northern part of the Limpopo province and northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Cupreous blue
male and wing undersides
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Eicochrysops
Species:
E. messapus
Binomial name
Eicochrysops messapus
(Godart, [1824])[1]
Synonyms
  • Polyommatus messapus Godart, [1824]
  • Cupido sapphirina Stoneham, 1938
  • Lycaena acca Westwood, 1851
  • Lycaena mahallakoaena Wallengren, 1857
  • Eicochrysops mahallakoaena
  • Catochrysops nandiana Bethune-Baker, 1906
  • Polyommatus sebagadis Guérin-Méneville, 1849
  • Cupido messapus ab. trisignatus Strand, 1911

The wingspan is 17–22 mm for males and 17–24 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round in warmer areas, with peaks in October and March. In cooler areas it is not found from April to September.[3]

The larvae probably feed on Thesium species.

Subspecies
E. m. mahallakoeana, mud-puddling
  • E. m. messapus — South Africa: Western Cape to Free State provinces
  • E. m. mahallakoeana (Wallengren, 1857) — South Africa: northern Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, northern Free State, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West provinces
  • E. m. nandiana (Bethune-Baker, 1906) — Kenya, Uganda
  • E. m. sebagadis (Guérin-Méneville, 1849) — highlands of Ethiopia
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References
  1. Eicochrysops at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Eicochrysops_messapus/classification/
  3. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.


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