Cacyreus lingeus

Bush bronze
	male and female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Cacyreus
Species:	C. lingeus
Binomial name
	Cacyreus lingeus; (Stoll, [1782])
Synonyms
	Papilio lingeus Stoll, [1782]; Papilio ericus Fabricius, 1793; Cupido lingeus var. ciliaris Aurivillius, 1910;

Cacyreus lingeus, the common bush blue or bush bronze, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. As with other Cacyreus species it is endemic to the Afrotropics.^[2]

Range

It is a common species in much of sub-Saharan Africa, though mostly at lower altitudes.^[2]

Description

The wingspan is 22–27 mm for males and 22–28 mm for females. The larvae are pale green.^[2]

Habits

Adults are on wing year-round, with a peak from October to February. In exceptional situations adults may be on the wing in winter months in cooler areas.^[3]

Foodplants

The larvae may feed on the flowers, the leaves or inside the stems of their foodplants.^[2] Various Lamiaceae species are utilized, including Plectranthus, Salvia, Calamintha, Lavandula, Mentha and Hemizygia species.

Gallery

male upper & underside

References

^ Cacyreus at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Hoskins, Adrian. "Butterflies of Africa: Common Bush Blue". Learn About Butterflies: the complete guide to the world of butterflies and moths. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
^ 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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[1] Cacyreus at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms

[ah-2] Hoskins, Adrian. "Butterflies of Africa: Common Bush Blue". Learn About Butterflies: the complete guide to the world of butterflies and moths. Retrieved 10 March 2019.

[3] 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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