Anthene lachares

Anthene lachares
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Anthene
Species:	A. lachares
Binomial name
Anthene lachares (Hewitson, 1878)[1]
Synonyms
Lycaenesthes lachares Hewitson, 1878 Anthene (Anthene) lachares Lycaenesthes pulcher Grose-Smith and Kirby, 1893 Lycaenesthes liparis Grose-Smith, 1898 Lycaenesthes lachares var. obsolescens Bethune-Baker, 1910 Pseudoliptena bitje Stempffer, 1946

Anthene lachares, the silky ciliate blue, is a butterfly in the Lycaenidae family. It is found in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.^[2] The habitat consists of primary forests and dense secondary forests.

Adult males mud-puddle.

The larvae are green and onisciform (woodlouse shaped), but become reddish with oblique lighter stripes just before pupation. They are usually found under leaves in groups of two to eight and are always attended by ants, including Pheidole aurivillii race kasaiensis and Pheidole rotundata.

Subspecies

• Anthene lachares lachares (Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria: south and Cross River loop, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, western Democratic Republic of the Congo)
• Anthene lachares toroensis Stempffer, 1947 (Central African Republic: Bangui, Democratic Republic of the Congo: east to Ituri, western Uganda)

References

1. Anthene at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera
2. Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Tribe Lycaenesthini