''Cacyreus lingeus'', the common bush blue or bush bronze, is a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...

of the family

Lycaenidae Lycaenidae is the second-largest 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 the known butterfly ...

. As with other ''

Cacyreus ''Cacyreus'' is an Afrotropical genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. Species *''Cacyreus audeoudi'' Stempffer, 1936 *''Cacyreus darius'' (Mabille, 1877) *''Cacyreus dicksoni'' Pennington, 1962 *''Cacyreus ethiopicus'' Tite, 1961 *''Cacy ...

'' species it is endemic to the

Afrotropics The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the island ...

Range

It is a common species in much of sub-Saharan Africa, though mostly at lower altitudes.

Description

The

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

is 22–27 mm for males and 22–28 mm for females. The larvae are pale green.

Habits

Adults are on wing year-round, with a peak from October to February. In exceptional situations adults may be on the wing in winter months in cooler areas.

Foodplants

The larvae may feed on the flowers, the leaves or inside the stems of their foodplants. Various

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savo ...

species are utilized, including '' Plectranthus'', ''

Salvia ''Salvia'' () is the largest genus of plants in the sage family Lamiaceae, with nearly 1000 species of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, ''Salvia'' is part of the tribe Mentheae within the subfamily Nepetoide ...

'', '' Calamintha'', '' Lavandula'', ''

Mentha ''Mentha'' (also known as mint, from Greek , Linear B ''mi-ta'') is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae (mint family). The exact distinction between species is unclear; it is estimated that 13 to 24 species exist. Hybridization occurs n ...

'' and '' Hemizygia'' species.

Gallery

CramerAndStoll-uitlandsche kapellen vol. 4- pl 379, Cacyreus lingeus.jpg, Bush_bronze_Cacyreus_lingeus_2012_05_14_9970.jpg Bush_bronze_Cacyreus_lingeus_2012_05_14_9969.jpg Bush Bronze.JPG

References

Butterflies described in 1782 Cacyreus Fauna of Rivers State {{Polyommatini-stub