Hypolycaena philippus

Hypolycaena philippus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Hypolycaena
Species:	H. philippus
Binomial name
Hypolycaena philippus (Fabricius, 1793) [1]
Synonyms
Hesperia philippusFabricius, 1793 Cupido ramonzaSaalmüller, 1878 Jolaus orejusHopffer, 1855 Amblypodia erylusTrimen, 1866 Hypolycaena vittigeraMabille, 1879

Hypolycaena philippus, the purple-brown hairstreak or common hairstreak, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa where it is commonly found in wooded locations.

Description

The wingspan is 22–28 mm for males and 23.5–31 mm for females. ^[2] Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas with peaks in November and March or April. ^[2]

Habitat and behavior

The larvae feed on Clerodendrum glabrum , Ximenia species (including X. afra and X. americana ), Deinbollia species (including D. oblongifolia ), Vangueria species (including the inside of fruits of V. randii ), Maytenus senegalensis , Allophylus , Loranthus , Punica granatum , other Clerodendrum , Coccinia grandis and Ixora .^{[ citation needed ]}

Subspecies

• Hypolycaena philippus philippus – mainland sub-Saharan Africa
• Hypolycaena philippus ramonza(Saalmüller, 1878) – Madagascar, Aldabra, Cosmoledo, Comoro Islands

References

1. Hypolycaena 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.

External links

• Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 67 a