Butterflies of the Indian
subcontinent
African Babul Blue
Azanus jesous
GUÉRIN-MÉNEVILLE, 1849
Family -
LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
POLYOMMATINAE
Tribe - POLYOMMATINI
Azanus
jesous,
Weligaththa, Sri Lanka
Introduction
The genus Azanus
comprises of 11 species distributed variously across Africa, the Arab states,
the Indian subcontinent, and mainland south-east Asia.
Azanus
jesous is found across the entire African continent including Madagascar,
and in Asia from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka to Burma.
Habitats
This species is found in dry grassy habitats ranging from
deserts, steppes, savannahs and thorn scrub, to clearings in the drier forests.
Lifecycle
The larval foodplants are Acacia and
Entada.
Adult behaviour
The butterflies are very active, and always fly very low, just
above the grasses. They nectar avidly at any available wild flowers. They
invariably keep their wings held erect when feeding.
Azanus
jesous,
Weligaththa, Sri Lanka
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