Iolaus diametra

Iolaus diametra, the natal yellow-banded sapphire, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Africa, roughly from South Africa to Ethiopia.

Iolaus diametra
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Iolaus
Species:
I. diametra
Binomial name
Iolaus diametra
(Karsch, 1895)[1]
Synonyms
  • Epamera diametra Karsch, 1895
  • Epamera diametra littoralis Congdon & Collins, 1998
  • Epamera diametra zanzibarensis Congdon & Collins, 1998

The wingspan is 26–28 mm for males and 27–29 mm for females. Adults are on wing from July to December with a peak in October in South Africa. There is one generation per year.[2]

The larvae of subspecies I. d. natalica feed on Actinanthella wylliei. Other recorded food plants are Oliverella hildebrandtii and Englerina woodfordioides.[3]

Subspecies
  • I. d. diametra (northern Tanzania, eastern Kenya, southern Ethiopia)
  • I. d. natalica Vári, 1976 (northern KwaZulu-Natal)
  • I. d. littoralis (Congdon & Collins, 1998) (coast of Kenya, coast of Tanzania)
  • I. d. zanzibarensis (Congdon & Collins, 1998) (Tanzania: Zanzibar)
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References
  1. Iolaus at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
  3. Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Subtribe Iolaina


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