Iolaus iulus. Female. Left – upperside; right – underside. Wingspan: 34mm. Zambezi Rapids, Ikelenge, Zambia. 30 Jan, 1984. A.J. Gardiner. (Gardiner Collection).
Type locality: Sierra Leone: “Sherborough Island”.
Distribution: Senegal (Basse Casamance), Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria (south), Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Zambia.
Misattributed to the Gambia fauna by Ackery et al. (1995) (Larsen, 2005a).
Specific localities:
Zambia – Zambezi Rapids (specimens illustrated above).
Common name: Iulus sapphire.
Habitat: Forest, but also in cleared lands (Larsen, 2005a).
Habits: A fairly common sapphire, often found feeding from flowers (Larsen, 2005a). During the dry season both sexes may be seen mud-puddling (Larsen, 2005a).
Early stages:
Lamborn, 1914: 474.
Larvae possess a DNO (no TO’s seen) and were attended by Crematogaster buchneri. Three larvae were found on a climbing parasitic plant. The larvae were predominantly ruby and green in colour. Pupal period 10 days (n = 3).
Farquharson, 1921. (Nigeria)
The larvae were found feeding on the flowers of Loranthus incanus parasitic on Alstonia congensis.
Eltringham, 1921b: 480 (ex Farquharson, Nigeria)
“Pupa. (Plate XIII, fig. 4). The general shape of this pupa recalls that of I. timon, being somewhat bud-like, though it would appear usually to be attached to a leaf. The terminal segments are very narrow suggesting a stalk, and the last, though but little expanded, has the sucker-like formation noted in several other species. The dorsal area is covered with punctulations, and a very conspicuous feature is the presence on the fourth and fifth abdominal segments of two large yellow patches outlined in black. The thoracic portion of the skin is in all the specimens too distorted for accurate representation. It is noticeable that the pupa of iulus bears a greater resemblance to that of T.[Tanuetheira] timon than to those of other species of its own genus [Argiolaus]. Length 15 mm.”
Larval food:
Loranthus incanus Schum. & Thonn. (Loranthaceae) [Farquharson, 1921 (Nigeria].
Globimetula braunii (Engl.) Danser (Loranthaceae) [Congdon and Bampton, 2000: 36].
Globimetula mweroensis (Baker) Danser (Loranthaceae) [Congdon and Bampton, 2000: 36].
Tapinanthus erianthus (Sprague) Danser (Loranthaceae) [Congdon and Bampton, 2000: 36].
Englerina woodfordioides (Schweinf.) M.G. Gilbert (Loranthaceae) [Congdon and Bampton, 2000: 36; in captivity].
Associated ant:
Crematogaster buchneri For. (Formcidae) [Lamborn, 1914: 474 (Nigeria)].
aelianus Staudinger, 1891 (as ?). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, Iris 4: 148 (61-157). Sierra Leone. [see Stempffer, 1969]
matilda Suffert, 1904 (as sp. of Jolaus). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, Iris 17: 64 (12-107). Togo: “Bismarckburg”.
entebbeae Riley, 1928 (as ssp. of Argiolaus jamesoni). Novitates Zoologicae 34: 376 (374-394). Uganda: “Entebbe”.
Iolaus (Iolaphilus) jamesoni (Druce, 1891)
Argiolaus jamesoni Druce, 1891. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (6) 8: 145 (139-150).
Synonym of Iolaus aelianus Staudinger. Stempffer & Bennett, 1958: 1303.
Synonym of Iolaus alcibiades Kirby. Clench, 1965 in Fox et al., 1965: 351.
Iolaus jamesoni (Druce, 1891). Congdon & Collins, 1998: 94.
Type locality: Democratic Republic of Congo: “Yambuya Camp, Aruwimi River”.
Distribution: Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya (west), Tanzania (north-west).
Records of this species (as I. aelianus) from West Africa are erroneous (Larsen, 2005a).
Specific localities:
Kenya – Kakamega Forest (Congdon and Collins, 1998).
Tanzania – Kere Hill, Minziro Forest; Kikuru Forest (Congdon and Collins, 1998).
Habitat: Forest.
Habits: In the late afternoon males hilltop, perching in sunny spots in the upper canopy of the forest (Congdon and Collins, 1998).
Early stages:
Congdon and Collins, 1998: 95.
Larsen, 2005a.
Larval food:
Globimetula braunii (Engl.) Danser (Loranthaceae) [Congdon and Collins, 1998: 95; Kakamega, Kenya].
Iolaus (Iolaphilus) shaba Collins & Larsen, 1995
Iolaus (Iolaphilus) shaba Collins & Larsen, 1995. Lambillionea 95 (4) (Tome II): 563 (563-564).
Type locality: Democratic Republic of Congo: “Musononu, Congo, Katanga (Zaïre, Shaba), 9. IX. 1963 (V. Allard leg.) (In coll. Nairobi).” Types in the Natural History Museum, London.
Distribution: Democratic Republic of Congo. Known only from the types (one male and one female), from the type locality.
Habitat:
Flight period: Only recorded in September.
Early stages: Nothing published.
Larval food: Nothing published.
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