Eicochrysops messapus

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
male and wing undersides
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Eicochrysops
Species:
E. messapus
Binomial name
Eicochrysops messapus
(Godart, [1824])[1]
Synonyms
  • Polyommatus messapus Godart, [1824]
  • Cupido sapphirina Stoneham, 1938
  • Lycaena acca Westwood, 1851
  • Lycaena mahallakoaena Wallengren, 1857
  • Eicochrysops mahallakoaena
  • Catochrysops nandiana Bethune-Baker, 1906
  • Polyommatus sebagadis Guérin-Méneville, 1849
  • Cupido messapus ab. trisignatus Strand, 1911

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
E. m. mahallakoeana, mud-puddling
  • 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
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eicochrysops messapus.
Wikispecies has information related to Eicochrysops messapus.
  1. Eicochrysops at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. "ADW: Eicochrysops messapus: CLASSIFICATION".
  3. 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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