Geranium bronze

Geranium bronze
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Cacyreus
Species: C. marshalli
Binomial name
Cacyreus marshalli
Butler, 1897

The geranium bronze or brun des pélargoniums in French (Cacyreus marshalli) is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.

The wingspan is 15–23 mm for males and 18–27 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round in warmer areas, but usually from August to May in South Africa. At higher altitudes adults are on wing in December and January.[1] It is brown with a fine black edge interlaced with white and a very thin tail. The underside is grey-brown with dark bands. The caterpillar feeds on cultivated Pelargonium geraniums, as well as on species of the related Geranium genus.

The species is native of South Africa. It has, however, been introduced (deliberately or accidentally) to Mediterranean Europe (initially the Balaeric Islands), where it has spread as a pest of cultivated Pelargonium geraniums, which also originate in South Africa. It was first recorded in the United Kingdom in Sussex in 1997 (also on geranium), and has been recorded several times since. In the UK, all sightings should be reported to DEFRA. It appeared in Malta on March/April 2007. The first location that established itself was at San Gwann but in a few months took all over the island. Recently it has also been spotted in Mġarr, Xagħra, Gozo and in Katerini. Spotted on Crete 2 September 2016.

References

  1. ↑ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.


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