Myrina dermaptera

Myrina dermaptera
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Myrina
Species:	M. dermaptera
Binomial name
Myrina dermaptera (Wallengren, 1857)[1]
Synonyms
Loxura dermaptera Wallengren, 1857

The Lesser Fig-tree Blue or Scarce Fig-tree Blue (Myrina dermaptera) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa, southern Arabia and northern Oman.

The wingspan is 26-32 mm for males and 30-38 mm for females. Adults are on year round with strong peaks in November and from April to June^[2].

The larvae feed on Ficus species, including Ficus sur, Ficus thonningii and Ficus natalensis.

Subspecies

• Myrina dermaptera dermaptera (East Cape to KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province, southern Mozambique)
• Myrina dermaptera nyassae Talbot, 1935 (Zimbabwe, Malawi, eastern Tanzania to Kenya (Nairobi))

References

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