Thestor brachycerus
| Knysna skolly | |
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| Thestor brachycerus subsp. dukei | |
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| Species: | T. brachycerus
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| Binomial name | |
| Thestor brachycerus (Trimen, 1883)
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Thestor brachycerus, the Knysna skolly, is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. 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
- Thestor brachycerus brachycerus – seaside skolly
- Range: Western Cape, confined to the heads at Knysna
- Thestor brachycerus dukei van Son, 1951 – Duke's skolly
- 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
- ^ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
- Gimenez Dixon, M. 1996. Thestor brachycerus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 31 July 2007.
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