Cigaritis natalensis

Cigaritis natalensis, the Natal bar or Natal barred blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa, from the Eastern Cape along the coast to KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini, the Free State, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West provinces, and part of the Northern Cape province. It is also present in Botswana.

Natal bar
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Cigaritis
Species:
C. natalensis
Binomial name
Cigaritis natalensis
(Westwood, 1851)[1]
Synonyms
  • Aphnaeus natalensis Westwood, 1851
  • Amblypodia natalensis Westwood, 1852
  • Spindasis masilikazi Wallengren, 1857
  • Spindasis natalensis
  • Spindasis natalensis ab. obscura Aurivillius, 1923

The wingspan is 25–32.5 mm for males and 26.5–34 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round with peaks from September to October and from March to May.[2]

The larvae feed on Canthium inerme, Clerodendrum glabrum and Ximenia caffra.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cigaritis natalensis.
Wikispecies has information related to Cigaritis natalensis.
  1. Cigaritis 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.


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