Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Lycaenidae Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Iolaus | |
Similar Iolaus iulus, Iolaus pallene, Iolaus mimosae, Iolaus timon, Iolaus | ||
Iolaus poecilaon, the intense sapphire, is a butterfly in the Lycaenidae family. It is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. The habitat consists of forests.
The larvae feed on Phragmanthera rufescens, Phragmanthera usuiensis usuiensis, Phragmanthera polycrypta and Phragmanthera brieyi. The head of the larvae closely resemble new buds of their host plant. They feed on these buds and position themselves so that their heads takes their place as a form of camouflage.
Subspecies
References
Iolaus poecilaon Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA