Eicochrysops messapus, the cupreous blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae.[2] It is found in Africa. In South Africa it is rare and only known from the northern part of the Limpopo province and northern KwaZulu-Natal.
| Cupreous blue | |
|---|---|
| |
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| male and wing undersides | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Eicochrysops |
| Species: | E. messapus
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| Binomial name | |
| Eicochrysops messapus | |
| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is 17–22 mm for males and 17–24 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round in warmer areas, with peaks in October and March. In cooler areas it is not found from April to September.[3]
The larvae probably feed on Thesium species.
Subspecies edit
- E. m. messapus — South Africa: Western Cape to Free State provinces
- E. m. mahallakoeana (Wallengren, 1857) — South Africa: northern Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, northern Free State, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West provinces
- E. m. nandiana (Bethune-Baker, 1906) — Kenya, Uganda
- E. m. sebagadis (Guérin-Méneville, 1849) — highlands of Ethiopia
References edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eicochrysops messapus.
Wikispecies has information related to Eicochrysops messapus.
- ^ Eicochrysops at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- ^ "ADW: Eicochrysops messapus: CLASSIFICATION".
- ^ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.