Uranothauma heritsia explained

Uranothauma heritsia, the light branded blue, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in south-eastern Nigeria, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.^[1] The habitat consists of submontane forests and wooded habitats.

Adult males mud-puddle.

The larvae feed on the young leaves of Bridelia micrantha.

Subspecies

• U. h. heritsia (south-eastern Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, northern Angola, western and central Democratic Republic of the Congo)
• U. h. chibonotana (Aurivillius, 1910) (northern Tanzania)
• U. h. intermedia (Tite, 1958) (eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Sudan, Uganda, Kenya: west and the central highlands, western Tanzania)
• U. h. virgo (Butler, 1896) (southern and eastern Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo: south to Shaba, Malawi, northern Zambia)

Notes and References

1. http://atbutterflies.com/downloads/lycaenidae_polyommatini_1.doc Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Tribe Polyommatini (part 1)