Lepidochrysops patricia

Patrician blue
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Lepidochrysops
Species:	L. patricia
Binomial name
	Lepidochrysops patricia; (Trimen, 1887)
Synonyms
	Lycaena patricia Trimen, 1887; Lepidochrysops patricia f. radiata Woodhall, 2000;

Lepidochrysops patricia, the patrician blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa, from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape and to KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, the North West and the Northern Cape.

The wingspan is 35–44 mm for males and 36–46 mm for females. Adults are on wing from September to December and from January to April. There are two generations per year.^[2]

The larvae feed on Salvia species, Lantana rugosa and Lantana camara. Third and later instar larvae feed on the brood of Camponotus maculatus ants.

References

^ Lepidochrysops at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
^ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.

Media related to Lepidochrysops patricia at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Lepidochrysops patricia at Wikispecies

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[1] Lepidochrysops 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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