Iolaus parasilanus explained

Iolaus parasilanus, the friendly sapphire, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Ghana, Nigeria, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.^[1] The habitat consists of forests.

The larvae feed on Loranthus species, Phragmanthera usuiensis usuiensis, Phragmanthera polycrypta and Phragmanthera brieyi.

Subspecies

• Iolaus parasilanus parasilanus (Democratic Republic of the Congo: South Kivu, western Tanzania)
• Iolaus parasilanus divaricatus (Riley, 1928) (Uganda, western Kenya, north-western Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo: Uele, Ituri, North Kivu and Tshopo)
• Iolaus parasilanus mabillei (Riley, 1928) (Gabon, Congo, Angola: Cabinda, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Equateur)
• Iolaus parasilanus maesseni (Stempffer & Bennett, 1958) (Ghana, Nigeria: south and the Cross River loop)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Subtribe Iolaina . 2012-08-31 . 2014-04-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140407084404/http://atbutterflies.com/downloads/lycaenidae_iolaina.doc . dead .