Iolaus pallene

Iolaus pallene, the saffron sapphire, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from southern Sudan, Angola, southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (Shaba) and Kenya to South Africa. In South Africa it is found from the thorn belt of KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland to Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West.

Iolaus pallene
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Iolaus
Species:
I. pallene
Binomial name
Iolaus pallene
Synonyms
  • Myrina pallene Wallengren, 1857[2]
  • Aphniolaus pallene (Wallengren, 1857)

The wingspan is 30–35 mm for males and 34–38 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas with peaks in spring and late summer. In the cooler south-western part of its range adults are on wing from September to February.[3]

The larvae feed on Ximenia caffra and Ximenia americana.

References
  1. Iolaus at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Wallengren, H. D. J. (1857). "Kafferlandets Dag-fjärilar, insamlade åren 1838-1845 af J. A. Wahlberg". Kongliga Svenska vetenskaps-akademiens handlingar. Ny följd. 2 (4): 36.
  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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