Lepidochrysops plebeja, the twin-spot blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1898. It is found in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and South Africa.
| Twin-spot blue | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Lepidochrysops |
| Species: | L. plebeja
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| Binomial name | |
| Lepidochrysops plebeja | |
| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is 35–43 millimetres (1.4–1.7 in) for males and 38–45 mm for females. Adults are on wing from November to January. There is one generation per year.[2]
The larvae feed on Lantana rugosa. Third and later instar larvae feed on the brood of Camponotus niveosetus ants.
Subspecies
edit- Lepidochrysops plebeja plebeja (northern Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, north-western Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West and Northern Cape)
- Lepidochrysops plebeja proclus (Hulstaert, 1924)
References
edit- ^ 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.