Lepidochrysops ignota

Lepidochrysops ignota, the Zulu blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa, from the KwaZulu-Natal midlands to Swaziland, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng.

Lepidochrysops ignota
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Lepidochrysops
Species:
L. ignota
Binomial name
Lepidochrysops ignota
(Trimen, 1887)[1]
Synonyms
  • Lycaena ignota Trimen, 1887
  • Cupido ignotus
  • Catochrysops ignota
  • Neochrysops ignota
  • Lepidochrysops ignota f. fortuna Woodhall, 2000

The wingspan is 27–29 mm for males and 27–30 mm for females. Adults are on wing from October to November. There is one generation per year.[2]

The larvae feed on Ocimum species. Third and later instar larvae feed on the brood of Camponotus niveosetus ants.

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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