Lepidochrysops tantalus

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Lepidochrysops tantalus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Lepidochrysops
Species:
L. tantalus
Binomial name
Lepidochrysops tantalus
(Trimen, 1887) [1]
Synonyms
  • Lycaena tantalusTrimen, 1887
  • Cupido tantalus
  • Neochrysops tantalus

Lepidochrysops tantalus, the king blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa, from the Drakensberg foothills in the Eastern Cape to the KwaZulu-Natal midlands, Swaziland, then along the escarpment hills to Mpumalanga and Gauteng. It is also found in Limpopo.

The wingspan is 30–38 mm for males and 34–40 mm for females. Adults are on wing from September to November. There is one generation per year. [2]

The larvae feed on Becium grandiflorum .

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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.