Lepidochrysops glauca

Lepidochrysops glauca, the silvery blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from the African tropics to South Africa.

Silvery blue
Lepidochrysops glauca, male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Subfamily:
Polyommatinae
Tribe:
Polyommatini
Genus:
Lepidochrysops
Species:
L. glauca
Binomial name
Lepidochrysops glauca
(Trimen, 1887)[1]
Synonyms
  • Lycaena glauca Trimen, 1887
  • Cupido glauca
  • Catochrysops glauca
  • Neochrysops glauca
  • Lepidochrysops glauca var. swinburnei Stevenson, 1939

The wingspan is 35–40 mm for males and 38–48 mm for females. Adults are on the wing from September to December and from January to April. There are two generations per year.[2]

The larvae feed on Ocimum canum and Lantana rugosa.

Lepidochrysops glauca glauca, female, upper side
Lepidochrysops glauca glauca, female, underside

Subspecies
  • Lepidochrysops glauca glauca
Range: Gabon, DRC, Angola, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland, South Africa: Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Gauteng, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal provinces
  • Lepidochrysops glauca swinburnei Stevenson, 1939
Range: Zimbabwe
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References
  1. Lepidochrysops 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.


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