Butterflies of
Africa
Large Fairy
Hairstreak
Hypolycaena antifaunus
WESTWOOD, 1851
Family - LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
THECLINAE
Tribe -
HYPOLYCAENINI
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Hypolycaena antifaunus,
Wli falls, Ghana / Togo border |
Introduction
There are 45 members of the genus
Hypolycaena, of which 22 are found in the Afrotropical
region, 1 in the Holarctic region ( China ), and 18 in the
Oriental region. In the
Australian region a further 4 species are found, but they differ in
certain ways from other Hypolycaena
species, and a new genus may need to be erected to contain them.
The African
Hypolycaena species are
collectively known as Fairy Hairstreaks.
Hypolycaena antifaunus is a common and
widespread species, found from Sierra Leone to Angola, Uganda
and western Tanzania.
Hypolycaena antifaunus,
Big Tree, Ghana
Habitats
This species is found in open sunlit areas within rainforest,
and is also frequent in secondary forest and forest edge
habitats. It is found from sea level to at least 800m altitude.
Lifecycle
The larval
foodplant is not recorded. Certain other African
Hypolycaena species e.g.
philippus, are polyphagous, while
others have a restricted range of foodplants.
Adult behaviour
Males can commonly be found imbibing mineralised moisture from
muddy forest roads.
They often
bask on low foliage, with the wings held half open, displaying
their brilliant metallic sapphire-blue uppersides.
Both sexes nectar at various wild flowers, holding their wings
erect when feeding.
The territorial males can frequently be seen in aerial combat,
spiralling around each other, rising and falling as they drift
together, cavorting, along forest tracks - a very pretty
sight indeed.
When at rest on
foliage, the butterflies periodically oscillate their hindwings,
which causes the long filamentous tails to wiggle. This draws
the attention of predators to the rear of the butterfly, which
has the appearance of a "false head". Birds expect butterflies
to fly forward, so they aim their attack just ahead of the
insect . The back-to-front illusion created by the false head
fools them into aiming behind instead, and the butterfly flies
in the opposite direction and makes it's escape.
Hypolycaena antifaunus,
Bobiri forest, Ghana
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