Aloeides pallida

Aloeides pallida
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Aloeides
Species: A. pallida
Binomial name
Aloeides pallida
Tite & Dickson, 1968[1]
Synonyms
  • Phasis thyra f. pallida Riley, 1938

The Giant Copper (Aloeides pallida) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in South Africa.

The wingspan is 30–39 mm for males and 34–45 mm females. Adults are on wing from October to early January or as early as August for the nominate subspecies. There is one generation per year.[2]

The larvae of ssp. pallida and jonathani feed on Aspalathus species. The larvae of ssp. grandis are fed by trophallaxis by Lepisota capensis ants. They also feed on the eggs of these ants.

Subspecies

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aloeides pallida.
Wikispecies has information related to: Aloeides pallida
  1. Aloeides, Site of Markku Savela
  2. Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2005.