''Zizeeria knysna'', the dark grass blue or African grass blue, is a species of
blue butterfly (Lycaenidae) found in
Africa, on
Cyprus and the
Iberian Peninsula.
Sometimes mistakenly called ''Zizeeria lysimon'' (Hübner), that species name is invalid as it is preoccupied by ''
Papilio lisimon'' Stoll,
790 a butterfly in the family
Riodinidae.
The
wingspan is 18–23 mm for males and 21–26 mm for females.
The butterfly flies nearly year-round.
The larvae feed on ''
Medicago
''Medicago'' is a genus of flowering plants, commonly known as medick or burclover, in the legume family (Fabaceae). It contains at least 87 species and is distributed mainly around the Mediterranean basin. The best-known member of the genus is ...
'', ''
Melilotus'', ''
Acanthyllis'', ''
Armeria delicatula'', ''
Polygonum equisetiforme
''Polygonum'' is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plant in the buckwheat and knotweed family Polygonaceae. Common names include knotweed and knotgrass (though the common names may refer more broadly to plants from Polygonaceae). In the ...
'', ''
Tribulus terrestris'' and ''
Oxalis''.
Gallery
African grass blue Zizeeria knysna knysna 2012 05 12 12 11 16 9014.jpg
Zizeeria knysna-01 (xndr).jpg
Zizeeria_knysna_HotMarina_2012-01-21.jpg
Zizeeria knysna (underside).jpg
Zizeeria knysna HotMarina 2012-04-28 in cop.jpg
Zizeeria knysna HotMarina 2012-01-15 cop.jpg
ZizeeriaKnysnaMoroccoMFUpUnAC1.jpg
Zizeera lysimon.jpg
References
External links
Butterflies of Europeat Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms''
Polyommatini
Butterflies of Africa
Butterflies of Europe
Fauna of Cyprus
Fauna of the Iberian Peninsula
Butterflies described in 1862
{{Polyommatini-stub