Iolaus silarus

Last updated

Iolaus silarus
013376594 Iolaus silarus brainei Henning & Henning 1984 PT.jpg
Iolaus silarus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Iolaus
Species:
I. silarus
Binomial name
Iolaus silarus
Synonyms
  • Jolaus silas lasiusSuffert, 1904

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.

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

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.