''Aphnaeus erikssoni'', the Eriksson's highflier, is a
butterfly in the family
Lycaenidae. It is found in
Angola,
Namibia,
Zambia, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Tanzania,
Malawi,
Mozambique and
Zimbabwe.
The habitat consists of savanna and open woodland.
Adults of subspecies ''A. e. barnesi'' have been recorded feeding from the flowers of ''
Brachystegia'' trees and sucking from damp spots.
The larvae feed on ''
Julbernardia globiflora'' and ''
Burkea africana
''Burkea africana'', the wild syringa ( bm, siri), is a deciduous, medium-sized, spreading, flat-topped tree belonging to the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the family Fabaceae. The genus was named in honour of Joseph Burke, the botanist and col ...
''. They are associated with ants of the genus ''
Crematogaster''.
Subspecies
*''A. e. erikssoni'' (southern Angola, Namibia: Caprivi, north-western Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo: south-east to Lualaba)
*''A. e. barnesi''
Stempffer, 1954 (eastern Zimbabwe)
*''A. e. kiellandi''
Stempffer, 1972 (Tanzania: south-west to the Mpanda and Kigoma districts)
*''A. e. mashunae''
Stempffer, 1954 (Zimbabwe: Harare area)
*''A. e. rex''
Aurivillius, 1909 (Malawi, south-eastern Tanzania, north-eastern Zambia, Mozambique)
References
Seitz, A. ''Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde'' 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 69''d'', ''h'' ssp. ''rex'' Aurivillius, 1909
Butterflies described in 1891
Aphnaeus
Butterflies of Africa
{{Aphnaeini-stub