Tarucus sybaris, the dotted blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in southern Africa.

Dotted blue
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Tarucus
Species:
T. sybaris
Binomial name
Tarucus sybaris
(Hopffer, 1855)[1]
Synonyms
  • Lycaena sybaris Hopffer, 1855
  • Cupido linearis Aurivillius, 1925
  • Tarucus sybaris f. vreuricki Dufrane, 1954

The wingspan is 22–26 mm for males and 20–27 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round, with a peak from November to March.[2]

The larvae feed on Ziziphus species, including Z. zeyheriana and Z. mucronata.

Tarucus sybaris sybaris in Spioenkop Dam N. R., South Africa

Subspecies

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  • Tarucus sybaris sybaris – South Africa (East Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, eastern Orange Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo Province and North West Province), Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi
  • Tarucus sybaris linearis (Aurivillius, 1924) – North Cape, western Orange Free State, Namibia, Angola, Botswana

References

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  1. ^ Tarucus 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.