Trimenia malagrida

Trimenia malagrida
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Trimenia
Species:	T. malagrida
Binomial name
Trimenia malagrida (Wallengren, 1857)[1]
Synonyms
Cigaritis malagrida Wallengren, 1857 Argyrocupha malagrida

The Scarce Mountain Copper (Trimenia malagrida) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in South Africa, where it is found from Beaufort West to the Roggeveld escarpment in the West Cape.

The wingspan is 24-29 mm for males and 29-33 mm females. Adults are on wing from late January to March. There is one generation per year^[2].

The larvae of ssp. maryae are attended to by Anoplolepis custodiens ants.

Subspecies

• Trimenia malagrida malagrida (Cape Peninsula)
• Trimenia malagrida paarlensis (Dickson, 1967) (Paarl Mountain and Paardeberg)
• Trimenia malagrida cedrusmontana (Dickson & Stephen, 1975) (Cederberg and Skurweberg)
• Trimenia malagrida maryae (Dickson & Henning, 1980) (coastal dune fynbos from De Hoop to Witsand)

References

1. ^ Trimenia, Site of Markku Savela
2. ^ Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2005.