Kingdom Animalia Order Lepidoptera Genus Iolaus Higher classification Epamera | Phylum Arthropoda Family Lycaenidae Scientific name Iolaus alienus Rank Species | |
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Wingspan Female: 3.5 – 4 cm (Adult), Male: 3.3 – 3.7 cm (Adult) Similar Iolaus, Iolaus mimosae, Butterfly, Lycaenidae, Iolaus iulus | ||
Iolaus alienus, the brown-line sapphire, is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in most of Sub-Saharan Africa.
The wingspan is 33–37 mm for males and 35–40 mm for females. Adults are on wing from August to November (with a peak in September) and sometimes again from April to May in South Africa. There are two generations per year.
Larvae have been reported on Loranthus species. The larvae of subspecies I. a. alienus feed on Tapinanthus brunneus, Tapinanthus subulatus, Oliverella rubroviridis and Helixanthera kirkii.
Subspecies
References
Iolaus alienus Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA