Butterflies of
Africa
Silky Ciliate Blue
Anthene lachares
HEWITSON, 1878
Family - LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
POLYOMMATINAE
Tribe -
LYCAENESTHINI
Anthene lachares,
Bobiri forest, Ghana
Introduction
The three short tails on
the hindwing, which characterise the genus Anthene,
can be clearly seen in the photograph above. The genus comprises about 132 species, of which
8 are found in south-east Asia and 1 is endemic to Australia. The 123 remaining
species are confined to Africa, with just a single species from among them
- princeps, found on Madagascar.
Anthene
lachares is distributed from Sierra Leone to Congo and western Uganda.
Habitats
This is a rainforest species. It can be found in glades and along logging roads,
but is not normally found in clearings, or in severely degraded forests.
Lifecycle
The larval foodplant is not recorded. Other
Anthene species use a variety of plants from
various families, and are often attended by ants.
Adult behaviour
The adults are usually seen singly, and are much scarcer than
Anthene larydas,
with which they often share their habitat.
Males perch on low foliage to await
passing females, and hold their wings erect when at rest.
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