Eicochrysops messapus

Eicochrysops messapus, the cupreous blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Africa. In South Africa it is rare and only known from the northern part of the Limpopo province and northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The wingspan is 17–22 mm for males and 17–24 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round in warmer areas, with peaks in October and March. In cooler areas it is not found from April to September.

The larvae probably feed on Thesium species.

Subspecies

• E. m. messapus — South Africa: Western Cape to Free State provinces
• E. m. mahallakoeana <small>(Wallengren, 1857)</small> — South Africa: northern Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, northern Free State, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West provinces
• E. m. nandiana <small>(Bethune-Baker, 1906)</small> — Kenya, Uganda
• E. m. sebagadis <small>(Guérin-Méneville, 1849)</small> — highlands of Ethiopia

References