Iolaus iasis

Iolaus iasis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Iolaus
Species:	I. iasis
Binomial name
	Iolaus iasis; Hewitson, 1865
Synonyms
	Iolaus (Epamera) iasis; Jolaus bertha Suffert, 1904; Iolaus albomaculatus Sharpe, 1904;

Iolaus iasis, the iasis sapphire, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya.^[2] The habitat consists of forests and savanna. The species has also been recorded in cocoa plantations.

The larvae feed on the flowers of Loranthus incanus and Tapinanthus bangwensis. Young larvae are pink or red. Later, they may become yellow or yellow orange.

Subspecies

Iolaus iasis iasis (Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria: south and the Cross River loop, Cameroon, Gabon, Angola, northern Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Iolaus iasis albomaculatus Sharpe, 1904 (Uganda, western Kenya)