Hypolycaena hatita

Hypolycaena hatita, the common fairy hairstreak, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.[2] The habitat consists of primary forests and dense secondary growth.

Common fairy hairstreak
H. h. hatita
Kakum National Park, Ghana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Riodinidae
Genus: Hypolycaena
Species:
H. hatita
Binomial name
Hypolycaena hatita
Synonyms
  • Hypolycaena japhusa Riley, 1921
  • Hypolycaena ugandae Sharpe, 1904

Adult males have been recorded feeding from bird droppings and are occasionally seen mud-puddling.

The larvae feed on Syzygium species.

Subspecies
  • Hypolycaena hatita hatita — Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria: south and the Cross River loop, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo: Mongala, Uele, Ituri, Tshopo, Tshuapa, Kinshasa, Cataractes, Bas-Fleuve, Sankuru and Maniema
  • Hypolycaena hatita japhusa Riley, 1921 — western Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia: from the Copperbelt northwards, Democratic Republic of Congo: Shaba
  • Hypolycaena hatita ugandae Sharpe, 1904 — Uganda, western Kenya, north-western Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo: Lualaba, Lomani and Kivu

References
  1. Hypolycaena at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Subtribe Hypolycaenina
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