Hypoleucis ophiusa, the common costus skipper, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.[2] The habitat consists of forests.
Hypoleucis ophiusa | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Hesperiidae |
Genus: | Hypoleucis |
Species: | H. ophiusa
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Binomial name | |
Hypoleucis ophiusa | |
Synonyms | |
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Adults are attracted to flowers, especially those of Costus species and gingers. Adult males are also attracted to bird droppings.
The larvae feed on Costus species, including Costus afer.
Subspecies
edit- Hypoleucis ophiusa ophiusa (Senegal, to Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Mayoumbe)
- Hypoleucis ophiusa ophir Evans, 1937 (Democratic Republic of the Congo: excluding the Mayoumbe area, Uganda, western Tanzania, Zambia)
References
editWikimedia Commons has media related to Hypoleucis ophiusa.
Wikispecies has information related to Hypoleucis ophiusa.
- ^ Hypoleucis at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- ^ Afrotropical Butterflies: Hesperiidae - Subfamily Hesperiinae