Cacyreus lingeus

Cacyreus lingeus, the common bush blue or bush bronze, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. As with other Cacyreus species it is endemic to the Afrotropics.[2]

Bush bronze
male and female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Cacyreus
Species:
C. lingeus
Binomial name
Cacyreus lingeus
(Stoll, [1782])[1]
Synonyms
  • Papilio lingeus Stoll, [1782]
  • Papilio ericus Fabricius, 1793
  • Cupido lingeus var. ciliaris Aurivillius, 1910

Range

It is a common species in much of sub-Saharan Africa, though mostly at lower altitudes.[2]

Description

The wingspan is 22–27 mm for males and 22–28 mm for females. The larvae are pale green.[2]

Habits

Adults are on wing year-round, with a peak from October to February. In exceptional situations adults may be on the wing in winter months in cooler areas.[3]

Foodplants

The larvae may feed on the flowers, the leaves or inside the stems of their foodplants.[2] Various Lamiaceae species are utilized, including Plectranthus, Salvia, Calamintha, Lavandula, Mentha and Hemizygia species.

  • male upper & underside

References
  1. Cacyreus at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Hoskins, Adrian. "Butterflies of Africa: Common Bush Blue". Learn About Butterflies: the complete guide to the world of butterflies and moths. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  3. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.


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