Iolaus silarus

Iolaus silarus, the straight-line sapphire, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. The species was first described by Hamilton Herbert Druce in 1885. It is found in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, southern Zaire, Tanzania, south-western Kenya and South Africa. In South Africa it is found in wooded savannah in northern KwaZulu-Natal and in savannah from Eswatini to Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West. It is also present in Afromontane forest on the Wolkberg and the northern Drakensberg.

Iolaus silarus
Iolaus silarus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Iolaus
Species:
I. silarus
Binomial name
Iolaus silarus
Synonyms
  • Jolaus silas lasius Suffert, 1904

The wingspan is 32–38 mm for males and 35–40 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas and from September to January in the cooler western part of its range.[2]

The larvae feed on Erianthemum dregei.

Subspecies
  • Iolaus silarus silarus (Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Shaba, Tanzania, southern Kenya, South Africa: Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga, North West Province, KwaZulu-Natal)
  • Iolaus silarus brainei Henning & Henning, 1984 (northern Namibia)
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References
  1. Savela, Markku (September 6, 2018). "Iolaus silarus Druce, 1885". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  2. 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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