Lepidochrysops 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, Eswatini, then along the escarpment hills to Mpumalanga and Gauteng. It is also found in Limpopo.

Lepidochrysops tantalus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Riodinidae
Genus: Lepidochrysops
Species:
L. tantalus
Binomial name
Lepidochrysops tantalus
(Trimen, 1887)[1]
Synonyms
  • Lycaena tantalus Trimen, 1887
  • Cupido tantalus
  • Neochrysops tantalus

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.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lepidochrysops tantalus.
Wikispecies has information related to Lepidochrysops tantalus.
  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.


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