''Aloeides depicta'', the depicta copper, is a

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

of the family

Lycaenidae Lycaenidae is the second-largest family (biology), family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of ...

. It is found in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, where it is known from

fynbos Fynbos (; , ) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. The area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean climate. The fynbos ...

and

Nama Karoo Nama Karoo is a xeric shrubland ecoregion located on the central plateau of South Africa and Namibia. It occupies most of the interior of the western half of South Africa and extends into the southern interior of Namibia. Climate The climate o ...

along the mountains from

Matjiesfontein Matjiesfontein is a settlement in Central Karoo District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa. History The original inhabitants of the region were the Khoikhoi herders and the Bushmen, San hunter gatherers. Following the ar ...

to Gydo Mountain and the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

Description

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

is for males and females. Adults are on wing from September to June. There are continuous generations in warmer months. The

hindwing Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindw ...

of ''A. depicta'' is mostly convex. Physical traits resemble those of '' A. apicalis'' and '' A. margaretae.''

Habitat and behavior

These butterflies inhabit grassy areas with bare patches, such as grassy

in the eastern cape, or highvield grasslands in other provinces. Males on this genus exhibit territorial behavior, claiming specific unsurfaced areas where they can counter females and mate.

Life cycle

Larval Morphology

Variation among larvae within the same colony is noted. The final instar larvae measure around 16mm. The head region is black, with a Y-shaped pale stripe down the centre above mandible, and small yellow patches on each side of it. Larval body contains 11 segments. The first segment of the larval body has a dark plate which lightens towards the edges, ending on a dark mark on the outer edge. A pair of faintly red marked spiracles are found on each side of the plate. The body is blue-green in color and a red double stripe runs down the middle of the back of first segment to the last. They are covered with bold black setae that grow longer towards the rear and under spiracles. The last (eleventh) segment has a flattened appearance, featuring white-centered black

tubercles In anatomy, a tubercle (literally 'small tuber', Latin for 'lump') is any round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth found on external or internal organs of a plant or an animal. In plants A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, b ...

that have non-spiny hairs. This segment contains irregular reddish black markings. There is an absence of honey glands in ''A. depicta'' larvae''.'' Final segment of ''A. depicta'' larvae are pale blue in color. These are relatively shorter than other species for example '' A. margaretae,'' due to not being reared by ants. The larvae feed on ''

Aspalathus ''Aspalathus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The yellow flowers and spiny habit of some species have suggested a resemblance to ''Ulex europaeus'', the thorny " English gorse" Accordingly, "Cape Gorse" has been proposed ...

'' species. They shelter under rocks close to their host plant. The ant species noted as host for these are ''

Lepisiota capensis 250px, Milking plant lice on a '' Cussonia'' leaf ''Lepisiota capensis'', commonly known as the small black sugar ant, is an Old World ant in the subfamily Formicinae. It is found in countries of the Afrotropical, Malagasy, Oriental, and Palaea ...

.''

References

Butterflies described in 1968 depicta Endemic butterflies of South Africa {{Aphnaeinae-stub