''Lepidochrysops michaeli'' 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 ...

in 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 ...

. It is found in north-western

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...

.Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Tribe Polyommatini (part 4)
/ref> Adults feed from the flowers of the larval host plant. They have been recorded on wing in October. The larvae feed on ''

Ocimum ''Ocimum'' is a genus of aromatic annual and perennial herbs and shrubs in the family Lamiaceae, native to the tropical and warm temperate regions of all 6 inhabited continents, with the greatest number of species in Africa. It is the genus of ...

'' species.

Etymology

The species is named for Michael W. Gardiner.

References

Butterflies described in 2003 Lepidochrysops Endemic fauna of Zambia Butterflies of Africa {{Polyommatini-stub