| Iolaus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Iolaus mimosae, figures 1 and 2 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Tribe: | Theclini |
| Genus: | Iolaus Hübner, [1819] |
| Type species | |
| Papilio eurisus Cramer, 1779 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Iolaus is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. The lineages defined as Argiolaus , Epamera , Iolaphilus and Stugeta are often included in Iolaus. Iolaus species are found in the Afrotropical realm.There are ca. 130 species in Iolaus
Contents
Medium-sized butterflies, hind wing with two long tails. The upper side is more or less shiny blue. The undersides are pale greyish-brown, often with a dark transverse line in the dista part or an orange spot at the hind corner of the hindwing.
Most species have larvae that feed onsemi-parasitic plants in the mistletoe family (Viscaceae).
The genus is distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, also in southern Arabia, which is biogeographically part of Africa, and north to Israel.
