Butterflies of
Africa
Indigo Ciliate Blue
Anthene rubricinctus
HOLLAND, 1891
Family - LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
POLYOMMATINAE
Tribe -
LYCAENESTHINI
Anthene rubricinctus,
Bobiri forest, Ghana
Introduction
The genus
Anthene comprises about 132 species, of which
8 are found in south-east Asia and 1 is endemic to Australia. The 123 remaining
species are all confined to the African continent. Only 1 species -
princeps, occurs on Madagascar.
Anthene
rubricinctus is distributed from Sierra Leone to Angola and Malawi.
Habitats
This species is found in relatively open woodland habitats including along
roadsides and the edges of wide trails.
Lifecycle
The larva has been reared in captivity on
Pterocarpus ( Fabaceae ), but the foodplant used in
the wild state is unknown.
Adult behaviour
The adults are usually found in two's and three's, often sharing
their habitats with larydas, but while males of the latter tend to
gather to imbibe moisture from patches of damp ground,
rubricinctus are more often seen perching on low foliage or on
rocks, where they await
passing females.
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