Myrina silenus

Myrina silenus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Myrina
Species:	M. silenus
Binomial name
Myrina silenus (Fabricius, 1775)[1]
Synonyms
Papilio silenus Fabricius, 1775 Papilio alcides Cramer, [1776] Myrina ficedula Trimen, 1879

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

The wingspan is 26.5-34 mm for males and 33-41 mm for females. Adults are on year round with peaks from September to October and from April to June in the eastern part of the range^[2].

The larvae feed on Ficus species, including Ficus capensis, Ficus stipulate, Ficus cordata, Ficus sur, Ficus pumila and Ficus ingens.

Subspecies

• Myrina silenus silenus (Sudan, Uganda, Zaire, Angola, Sierra Leone, Guinea)
• Myrina silenus nzoiae d'Abrera, 1980 (western Kenya to Ethiopia, Eritrea)
• Myrina silenus ficedula (Trimen, 1879) (eastern Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa (but not the West Cape))
• Myrina silenus deserticola Stempffer, 1969 (South West Africa (Okahandja))
• Myrina silenus penningtoni Dickson & Stephen, 1971 (Namaqualand, South West Africa)
• Myrina silenus suzannae Larsen & Plowes, 1991

References

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