Anthene contrastata

Anthene contrastata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Anthene
Species:	A. contrastata
Binomial name
	Anthene contrastata; (Ungemach, 1932)[1]
Synonyms
	Lycaenesthes contrastata Ungemach, 1932; Lycaenesthes otacilia mashuna Stevenson, 1937;

Anthene contrastata, the mashuna hairtail, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in eastern Africa, from South Africa, north to Ethiopia and Arabia.

The wingspan is 19–23 mm for males and 21–24 mm for females. Adults are on wing from September to June, with peaks in November and from March to April.[2]

The larvae probably feed on Acacia species, including Acacia karroo and Acacia tortilis.

Subspecies

Anthene contrastata contrastata (Ethiopia, Yemen)
Anthene contrastata mashuna (Stevenson, 1937) (West Cape, KwaZulu-Natal to Orange Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo Province, North West Province, North Cape, north to Zimbabwe to Kenya)
Anthene contrastata turkana Stempffer, 1936 (northern Kenya, Somalia, north-eastern Uganda)

References

Anthene at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
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] Anthene at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms

[2] Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.