Eicochrysops messapus

Eicochrysops messapus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Eicochrysops
Species:	E. messapus
Binomial name
Eicochrysops messapus (Godart, [1824])[1]
Synonyms
Polyommatus messapus Godart, [1824] Cupido sapphirina Stoneham, 1938 Lycaena acca Westwood, 1851 Lycaena mahallakoaena Wallengren, 1857 Eicochrysops mahallakoaena Catochrysops nandiana Bethune-Baker, 1906 Polyommatus sebagadis Guérin-Méneville, 1849 Cupido messapus ab. trisignatus Strand, 1911

The Cupreous Blue (Eicochrysops messapus) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family.^[2] It is found in Africa. In South Africa it is rare and only known from the northern part of the Limpopo Province and northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The wingspan is 17–22 mm for males and 17–24 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round in warmer area, with peaks in October and March. In cooler areas it is not found from April to September^[3]

The larvae probably feed on Thesium species.

Subspecies

• Eicochrysops messapus messapus (West Cape to Orange Free State)
• Eicochrysops messapus mahallakoaena (Wallengren, 1857) (northern East Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, northern Orange Free State, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, the Limpopo Province and the North West Province)
• Eicochrysops messapus nandiana (Bethune-Baker, 1906) (Kenya, Uganda)
• Eicochrysops messapus sebagadis (Guérin-Méneville, 1849) (highlands of Ethiopia)

References

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