Butterflies of
Africa
Meadow Blue
Cupidopsis cissus
GODART, 1824
Family - LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
POLYOMMATINAE
Tribe - POLYOMMATINI
Cupidopsis cissus
cissus, male, Mount Gemi, Likpe
Hills, Ghana / Togo border
Introduction
The genus
Cupidopsis comprises of 2 species -
cissus and iobates,
both of which are widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa.
Cupidopsis iobates ( the Tailed Meadow Blue ) differs in having a narrow
orange submarginal band on the hindwings, which are adorned with thin tails. The
female of cissus, which is untailed, also has an orange submarginal band on the
hindwings, but lacks any blue colouration, the latter being replaced by patches
or steaks of greyish-white.
Cupidopsis cissus is distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa including
Madagascar.
Habitats
This species is normally found on grassy hills and open areas within forest
which receive moderate to high rainfall, but is occasionally encountered on the
savannahs.
Cupidopsis cissus
cissus, male, Mount Gemi, Likpe Hills, Ghana / Togo
border
Lifecycle
The larvae feed on the flowers of
Eriosema, Rhynchosia and Vigna
( Fabaceae ).
Adult behaviour
Males can be found flitting from spot
to spot along pathways through grassy areas, where they imbibe
mineralised moisture from rocks and damp ground. Females are seen
less often, usually when basking on grasses in between egg-laying
bouts.
|
