The Peninsula Blue 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 South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, where it found in fynbos on the Swartberg range from the East Cape to Seweweekspoort and Klein Swartberg in the West Cape. It is also found on the Rooiberg.

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 24-38 mm for males and 27-38 mm for females. Adults are on wing from October to February. There is one generation per year.

The larvae feed on Selago

Selago

Selago is a genus of plant in family Scrophulariaceae. It contains the following species :* Selago lepida, Hilliard* Selago nachtigalii, Rolfe...

 species, including Selago serrata. Third and later instar larvae feed on the brood of Camponotus ants.

Subspecies

• Lepidochrysops oreas oreas (upper slopes of Cape Peninsula Mountains)
• Lepidochrysops oreas junae Dickson, 1974 (mountains east of Cape Flats)