''Iolaus ismenias'', the white sapphire, is a
butterfly in the family
Lycaenidae. It is found in
Senegal,
Guinea-Bissau,
Burkina Faso,
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
,
Ghana,
Togo,
Nigeria,
Cameroon, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
,
Uganda and
Ethiopia.
The habitat consists of dry savanna.
The larvae feed on ''
Loranthus'' species.
Subspecies
*''Iolaus ismenias ismenias'' (Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Sudan, Uganda)
*''Iolaus ismenias piaggiae''
Oberthür, 1883 (Ethiopia)
References
External links
''Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde'' 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 68''d''
Butterflies described in 1834
Iolaus (butterfly)
{{Theclinae-stub