Euchrysops barkeri explained

Euchrysops barkeri, the Barker's smoky blue or Barker's Cupid, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae.

Description

The wingspan is 26–32 mm for males and 27–33 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round, but are most common from November to July in South Africa.^[1]

Habitat and behavior

It is found in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and from Sierra Leone to Tanzania. In South Africa it is found from the East Cape along the KwaZulu-Natal coast and in Limpopo province.

Life cycle

The female oviposits at the stem of Sphenostylis angustifolia (Fabaceae). The egg is pale sky-blue wih a sparkling pearlescent lustre.^[2]

The larvae feed on Crotalaria and Rhynchosia species and Vigna unguiculata.

Notes and References

1. Book: Woodhall, Steve . Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa . 2005 . Cape Town, South Africa . Struik . 978-1-86872-724-7 .
2. Woodhall . Steve . 2009 . A new food plant record for Euchrysops barkeri (Trimen, 1893) Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae) . Metamosphosis . The Lepidopterists' Society of Africa . 20 . 1 . 5.