Iolaus pallene, the saffron sapphire, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from southern Sudan, Angola, southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (Shaba) and Kenya to South Africa. In South Africa it is found from the thorn belt of KwaZulu-Natal and Eswatini to Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West.
| Iolaus pallene | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Iolaus |
| Species: | I. pallene
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| Binomial name | |
| Iolaus pallene (Wallengren, 1857)[2]
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| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is 30–35 mm for males and 34–38 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas with peaks in spring and late summer. In the cooler south-western part of its range adults are on wing from September to February.[4]
The larvae feed on Ximenia afra and Ximenia americana.
References
edit- ^ Pringle, E.L.; Westrip, J.R.S. (2020). "Iolaus pallene". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T160605A161340886. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T160605A161340886.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ Iolaus at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- ^ Wallengren, H. D. J. (1857). "Kafferlandets Dag-fjärilar, insamlade åren 1838-1845 af J. A. Wahlberg". Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-akademiens Handlingar. Ny följd. 2 (4): 36.
- ^ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
External links
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