Iolaus silarus, the straight-line sapphire, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. The species was first described by Hamilton Herbert Druce in 1885. It is found in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, southern Zaire, Tanzania, south-western Kenya and South Africa. In South Africa it is found in wooded savannah in northern KwaZulu-Natal and in savannah from Eswatini to Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West. It is also present in Afromontane forest on the Wolkberg and the northern Drakensberg.
| Iolaus silarus | |
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| Iolaus silarus | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Iolaus |
| Species: | I. silarus
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| Binomial name | |
| Iolaus silarus H. H. Druce, 1885[1]
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| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is 32–38 mm for males and 35–40 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas and from September to January in the cooler western part of its range.[2]
The larvae feed on Erianthemum dregei.
Subspecies edit
- Iolaus silarus silarus (Eswatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Shaba, Tanzania, southern Kenya, South Africa: Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga, North West Province, KwaZulu-Natal)
- Iolaus silarus brainei Henning & Henning, 1984 (northern Namibia)
References edit
- ^ Savela, Markku (September 6, 2018). "Iolaus silarus Druce, 1885". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
- ^ 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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