''Megalopalpus zymna'', the common harvester, is a
butterfly in the family
Lycaenidae. It is found in
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
,
Côte d'Ivoire
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,
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...
(Mbini and Bioko), Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Sudan, Uganda, north-western Tanzania and Zambia.
[Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Subtribe Miletina]
/ref> The habitat is forest and dense agricultural land.
Adults Mimicry, mimic distasteful day-flying moths. Both sexes have been recorded feeding from the secretions of the Auchenorrhyncha species that the larvae feed on.
The larvae are carnivorous. They feed on Auchenorrhyncha species belonging to the families Cicadellidae and Membracidae, including ''Leptocentrus altifrons'', ''Anchon relatum'', ''Gargara variegata'' and ''Nehela ornata''. They creep up on their prey, periodically stopping and vibrating the true legs. On reaching the prey, the legs are vibrated on the closed wings of their target, much as the tending ants do with their antennae. The larva then raises its body over the cicadellid, then drops onto it, grasping it with its true legs. The prey is killed by a bite to the back of the neck, then completely consumed, the legs of the larva aiding in holding the prey and guiding the prey to its mouth. The larvae are dark brown. They are associated with the ant species Pheidole aurivillii, ''Pheidole aurivillii'' race ''kasaiensis'' and Camponotus akwapimensis, ''Camponotus akwapimensis'' var. ''poultoni''.
References
External links
Seitz, A. ''Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde'' 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 65
''f''
Butterflies described in 1851
Miletinae
{{Miletinae-stub