Iolaus aemulus

Iolaus aemulus, the short-barred sapphire, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from South Africa to coastal eastern Kenya. In South Africa it is found along the coast of Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, then to Ndumu in Zululand.

Short-barred sapphire
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Iolaus
Species:
I. aemulus
Binomial name
Iolaus aemulus
Trimen, 1895[2]
Synonyms
  • Epamera aemulus

The wingspan is 25.5–29.5 mm for males and 26–29 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round but mainly from September to May, with peaks in November and February or March.[3]

The larvae feed on Oncocalyx quinquenervius and Oncocalyx bolusii.[4]

References

  1. Rautenbach, F. (2020). "Iolaus aemulus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T161335624A168310230. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T161335624A168310230.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. Iolaus at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  3. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
  4. "Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Subtribe Iolaina". Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2012-08-03.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.