Iolaus alienus

Iolaus alienus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Iolaus
Species:	I. alienus
Binomial name
	Iolaus alienus; (Trimen, 1898)
Synonyms
	Epamera alienus Trimen, 1898; Jolaus bicaudatus Aurivillius, 1905;

The Brown-line Sapphire (Iolaus alienus) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in most of sub-Saharan Africa.

The wingspan is 33–37 mm for males and 35–40 mm for females. Adults are on wing from August to November (with a peak in September) and sometimes again from April to May in South Africa. There are two generations per year.^[2]

Larvae have been reported on Loranthus species. The larvae of ssp. alienus feed on Tapinanthus brunneus, Tapinanthus subulatus, Oliverella rubroviridis and Helixanthera kirkii.

Subspecies

Iolaus alienus alienus (from KwaZulu-Natal and Transvaal to Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, southern Tanzania)
Iolaus alienus bicaudatus Aurivillius, 1905 (northern Cameroon, northern Nigeria, Upper Volta)
Iolaus alienus ugandae Stempffer, 1953 (Kenya, Uganda, southern Sudan)
Iolaus alienus sophiae Henning & Henning, 1991

References

^ Iolaus, Site of Markku Savela
^ Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2005.

External links

Images representing Iolaus alienus at Barcodes of Life
Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 69 b and c as bicaudatus Aurivillius, 1905 (synonym).

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[1] Iolaus, Site of Markku Savela

[2] Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2005.

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