Anthene amarah

Anthene amarah, the black-striped hairtail, leaden hairtail or leaden ciliate blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in tropical Africa and Arabia (up to Aqaba). The habitat consists of savanna and occasionally open areas in the forest zone.

Black-striped hairtail
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Anthene
Species:
A. amarah
Binomial name
Anthene amarah
Synonyms
  • Polyommatus amarah Guérin-Méneville, 1847
  • Lampides olympusa Walker, 1870
  • Anthene amarah orphna Clench, 1965

The wingspan is 21–26 mm for males and 23–29 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round, with a peak in summer.[2]

Anthene amarah from United Arab Emirates
Anthene amarah from United Arab Emirates

The larvae feed on Acacia species, including and Acacia karroo, Acacia sieberana, and Acacia gerrardii. They are associated with a number of ants, including Crematogaster bequaerti var. saga, Lepisiota affinis, Camponotus, and Myrmicaria species.[3]

References
  1. Anthene amarah at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
  3. "Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Tribe Lycaenesthini". Archived from the original on 2015-02-19. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anthene amarah.
Wikispecies has information related to Anthene amarah.
External video
video icon A short film on Anthene amarah at Medike, Soutpansberg Mts (South Africa, Transvaal) recorded in 2004.


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