Iolaus frater

Iolaus frater
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Iolaus
Species:	I. frater
Binomial name
Iolaus frater (Joicey & Talbot, 1921)
Synonyms
Epamera frater Joicey & Talbot, 1921 Iolaus (Epamera) frater Epamera hemicyanus kamerunica Riley, 1928 Epamera kumboae Bethune-Baker, 1926

Iolaus frater, the brotherly sapphire, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. The habitat consists of upland forests, just below the submontane level.

The larvae feed on Tapinanthus erectotruncatus and Tapinanthus dependens.

Subspecies

• Iolaus frater frater (Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Uele, Tshopo and North Kivu)
• Iolaus frater kamerunica (Riley, 1928) (Cameroon)
• Iolaus frater kumboae (Bethune-Baker, 1926) (eastern Nigeria, Bioko)