''Lachnocnema'', commonly called woolly legs, is a genus of

butterflies 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 ...

found mainly in

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

. Identification requires dissection to reveal subtle genital distinctions.

Species

Listed alphabetically within

species group In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

s: *''Lachnocnema bibulus'' group **''

Lachnocnema bibulus ''Lachnocnema bibulus'', the common woolly legs, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa it is found from the East Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, the Limpopo Province, a ...

'' (Fabricius, 1793) – common woolly legs **'' Lachnocnema kiellandi'' Libert, 1996 **'' Lachnocnema laches'' (Fabricius, 1793) – southern pied woolly legs **'' Lachnocnema pseudobibulus'' Libert, 1996 **'' Lachnocnema riftensis'' Libert, 1996 **''

Lachnocnema sosia ''Lachnocnema sosia'' is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and northern Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within ...

'' Libert, 1996 *''Lachnocnema durbani'' group **'' Lachnocnema durbani'' Trimen, 1887 – D'Urban's woolly legs **'' Lachnocnema intermedia'' Libert, 1996 **''

Lachnocnema tanzaniensis ''Lachnocnema tanzaniensis'' is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in western and south-western Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. ...

'' Libert, 1996 *''Lachnocnema abyssinica'' group **'' Lachnocnema abyssinica'' Libert, 1996 **'' Lachnocnema angolanus'' Libert, 1996 **''

Lachnocnema ducarmei ''Lachnocnema ducarmei'' is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the north-eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simp ...

'' Libert, 1996 **'' Lachnocnema triangularis'' Libert, 1996 *''Lachnocnema jacksoni'' group **'' Lachnocnema jacksoni'' Stempffer, 1967 *''Lachnocnema emperamus'' group **'' Lachnocnema bamptoni'' Libert, 1996 **'' Lachnocnema brimoides'' Libert, 1996 **''

Lachnocnema divergens ''Lachnocnema divergens'', the divergent woolly legs, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in south-eastern Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ...

'' Gaede, 1915 – divergent woolly legs **''

Lachnocnema dohertyi ''Lachnocnema dohertyi'' is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Kenya and in Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by ...

'' Libert, 1996 **''

Lachnocnema emperamus ''Lachnocnema emperamus'', the common woolly legs or western woolly legs, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republ ...

'' (Snellen, 1872) – common woolly legs or western woolly legs **''

Lachnocnema katangae ''Lachnocnema katangae'' is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the south-eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simp ...

'' Libert, 1996 **''

Lachnocnema obscura ''Lachnocnema obscura'' is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the central part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the ...

'' Libert, 1996 **''

Lachnocnema overlaeti ''Lachnocnema overlaeti'' is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last am ...

'' Libert, 1996 **''

Lachnocnema regularis ''Lachnocnema regularis'', the regular woolly legs, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. The nominate subspecies is only known from a single record in the Limpopo Province. Subspecies ''grisea'' is also found in Africa, including Tanzania. ...

'' (Libert, 1996) – regular woolly legs **''

Lachnocnema vuattouxi ''Lachnocnema vuattouxi'', the western woolly legs, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Senegal, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, from Cameroon to Uganda, Kenya and northern Tanzania ...

'' Libert, 1996 – western woolly legs *''Lachnocnema reutlingeri'' group **''

Lachnocnema albimacula ''Lachnocnema albimacula'', the Libert's large woolly legs, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzavi ...

'' Libert, 1996 - Libert's large woolly legs **''

Lachnocnema brunea ''Lachnocnema brunea'' is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, north-western Tanzania, and western Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located ...

'' Libert, 1996 **'' Lachnocnema jolyana'' Libert, 1996 **''

Lachnocnema luna ''Lachnocnema luna'', or Druce's large woolly legs, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. The species was first described by Hamilton Herbert Druce in 1910. It is found in Ghana (the Volta Region), eastern Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Repub ...

'' Druce, 1910 – Druce's large woolly legs **'' Lachnocnema magna'' Aurivillius, 1895 – large woolly legs **'' Lachnocnema nigrocellularis'' Libert, 1996 **'' Lachnocnema reutlingeri'' Holland, 1892 – Reutlinger's large woolly legs *''Lachnocnema exiguus'' group **'' Lachnocnema exiguus'' Holland, 1890 – white woolly legs *Species group unknown **'' Lachnocnema congoensis'' Libert, 1996 **'' Lachnocnema disrupta'' Talbot, 1935 – toothed white woolly legs **'' Lachnocnema inexpectata'' Libert, 1996 **'' Lachnocnema unicolor'' Libert, 1996

References

*Libert, M. (1996a) Contribution a l'etude des Lycaenidae africains. Revision du genre Lachnocnema Trimen, (Lepidoptera Lycaenidae). ''Lambillionea'' 96 (1):185-202. *Libert, M. (1996b) Contribution a l'etude des Lycaenidae africains: revision du genre Lachnocnema Trimen, deuxieme partie (1). (Lepidoptera Lycaenidae). ''Lambillionea'' 96 (2):367-386. *Libert, M. (1996c) Contribution a l'etude des Lycaenidae africains: revision du genre Lachnocnema Trimen, troisieme partie. (Lepidoptera Lycaenidae). ''Lambillionea'' 96 (3):479-500.
Seitz, A. ''Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde'' 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 65
Lycaenidae genera Miletinae Taxa named by Roland Trimen {{Miletinae-stub