The Purple-brown Hairstreak or Commona Hairstreak (Hypolycaena philippus) is a butterfly

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 sub-Sahara

Sahara

The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...

n Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

.

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 in warmer areas with peaks in November and March or April.

The larvae feed on Clerodendron glabrum, Ximenia

Ximenia

Ximenia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Olacaceae. The generic name honors Francisco Ximénez, a Spanish priest.- Selected species :* Ximenia americana L.* Ximenia caffra Sond.* Ximenia coriacea Engl....

species (including Ximenia caffra and Ximenia americana

Ximenia americana

Ximenia americana, commonly known as Yellow Plum or Sea Lemon, is a small sprawling tree of woodlands native to Australia and Asia....

), Deinbollia species (including 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...

), Vangueria

Vangueria

Vangueria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae.-Distribution:The genus contains over 50 species distributed in Africa south of the Sahara with one species occurring in Madagascar . The centre of diversity is in East Africa and they are rare in West Africa.-Gousiekte:Several...

species (including the inside of fruits of Vangueria randii), Maytenus senegalensis, Allophylus

Allophylus

Allophylus is a genus of plants in the family Sapindaceae. This list of species is incomplete:* Allophylus agbala Hauman* Allophylus aldabricus Radlk.* Allophylus bullatus Radlk.* Allophylus chirindensis Baker f....

, Loranthus

Loranthus

Loranthus is a genus of mostly parasitic plants that grow on the branches of woody trees. It belongs to the family Loranthaceae, the showy mistletoe family...

, Punica granatum, Clerodendrum

Clerodendrum

Clerodendrum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. Its common names include glorybower, bagflower and bleeding-heart...

, Coccinia grandis

Coccinia grandis

Coccinia grandis, the ivy gourd, also known as baby watermelon, little gourd or gentleman's toes is a tropical vine.- Geographic spread :...

and Ixora

Ixora

Ixora is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. It consists of tropical evergreen trees and shrubs and holds around 500 species. Though native to the tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world, its centre of diversity is in Tropical Asia. Ixora also grows commonly in...

.

Subspecies

• Hypolycaena philippus philippus (Africa (south of Sahara))
• Hypolycaena philippus ramonza (Saalmüller, 1878) (Madagascar, Aldabra, Cosmoledo, Comoro Islands)