Hypolycaena lochmophila
Encyclopedia
The Coastal Hairstreak (Hypolycaena lochmophila) is a butterfly
of the Lycaenidae
family. It is found in lowland forest in northern KwaZulu-Natal
and Malawi
(Mlanje and Zomba).
The wingspan
is 22–28 mm for males and 23.5–31 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round with peaks in November and March or April.
The larvae feed on Deinbollia oblongifolia
.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the Lycaenidae
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
family. It is found in lowland forest in northern KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
and Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
(Mlanje and Zomba).
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 22–28 mm for males and 23.5–31 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round with peaks in November and March or April.
The larvae feed on Deinbollia oblongifolia
Deinbollia oblongifolia
Deinbollia oblongifolia is a shrub or small tree in the family Sapindaceae. It is commonly known as the Dune Soap-berry and is found in coastal vegetation from the Eastern Cape of South Africa, through KwaZulu-Natal to southern Mozambique and Swaziland.-Description:These plants can grow up to 9 m...
.