''Iolaus australis'', the eastern sapphire, 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 ...

in 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

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

and

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

. The habitat consists of ''

Brachystegia ''Brachystegia'' is a genus of tree of the subfamily Detarioideae that is native to tropical Africa. Trees of the genus are commonly known as miombo, and are dominant in the miombo woodlands of central and southern tropical Africa. The Zambezia ...

'' woodland. There are probably two generations per year, with adults on wing from June to September and again from February to April. The larvae feed on the leaves of ''

Tapinanthus oleifolius Haustorium and fruit of ''Tapinanthus oleifolius'' file:Amethyst sunbird, Chalcomitra amethystina, female at Kloofendal Nature Reserve, Johannesburg, South Africa (21354148246).jpg"> Tapinanthus_rubromarginatus.html" ;"title="Ornithophily in '' ...

'', ''

Tapinanthus erianthus Haustorium and fruit of ''Tapinanthus oleifolius'' file:Amethyst sunbird, Chalcomitra amethystina, female at Kloofendal Nature Reserve, Johannesburg, South Africa (21354148246).jpg"> Tapinanthus_rubromarginatus.html" ;"title="Ornithophily in '' ...

'', '' Tapinanthus dependens'', '' Agelanthus subulatus'', '' Vanwykia rubella'', '' Erianthemum dregei'', '' Phragmanthera usuiensis usuiensis'', '' Globimetula anguliflora'', '' Globimetula braunii'', '' Globimetula mweroensis'' and '' Helixanthera tetrapartita''. They are dark grey brown.

References

Butterflies described in 1937 Iolaus (butterfly) {{Theclinae-stub