Cacyreus tespis

Cacyreus tespis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Cacyreus
Species: C. tespis
Binomial name
Cacyreus tespis
(Herbst, 1804)[1]
Synonyms
  • Papilio tespis Herbst, 1804
  • Papilio palemon Stoll, 1782
  • Cupido palemon var. fracta Grünberg, 1911
  • Cacyreus palemon f. ecaudata Stempffer, 1950
  • Cacyreus palemon ghimirra Talbot, 1935

Cacyreus tespis, the water bronze or water blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from South Africa to Ethiopia.

The wingspan is 15–25 mm for males and 17–25 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round in warmer areas, but usually from August to May. At higher altitudes adults are on wing in December and January.[2]

The larvae feed on the buds and green seeds of Geranium and Pelargonium species.

Subspecies

  • Cacyreus tespis tespis (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kivu and Maniema, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho, South Africa: Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga, North West Province, Gauteng, Free State Province, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape Province, Western Cape Province and the Northern Cape Province)
  • Cacyreus tespis ghimirra Talbot, 1935 (highlands of Ethiopia)

References

  1. ↑ Cacyreus 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.


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