Thestor brachycerus

Knysna skolly
Thestor brachycerus subsp. dukei
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Thestor
Species: T. brachycerus
Binomial name
Thestor brachycerus
(Trimen, 1883)
Synonyms
  • Arrugia brachycera Trimen, 1883
  • Thestor dukei van Son, 1951

Thestor brachycerus, the Knysna skolly, is a species of butterfly in the Lycaenidae family. It is endemic to South Africa.

The wingspan is 27–36 mm for males and 29–39 mm for females. Adults are on the wing from December to January. There is one generation per year.[1]

Larvae have been found in the nests of the pugnacious ant, Anoplolepis custodiens, but the larval food is unknown.

Subspecies

Range: Western Cape, confined to the heads at Knysna
Range: Karoo and fynbos along the Langeberg from Die Koo to Montagu, then along the Swartberg and Elandsberg to the Outeniqua Mountains and along the southern Western Cape coast from Kogelberg to Stanford

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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