Capys alphaeus

Capys alphaeus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Capys
Species:	C. alphaeus
Binomial name
Capys alphaeus (Cramer, [1777])[1]
Synonyms
Papilio alphaeus Cramer, [1777]

The Protea Scarlet or Orange-banded Protea (Capys alphaeus) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in South Africa.

The wingspan is 31–40 mm for males and 32–47 mm for females. Adults are on wing from August to November and from February to April in two main generations.^[2]

The larvae feed on the flower buds of various Protea species, including Protea cynaroides, Protea roupelliae, Protea subvestita, Protea repens and Protea grandiceps.

Subspecies

• Capys alphaeus alphaeus (from the Cape Peninsula to the Kouebokkeveld Mountains and southern Namaqualand, the West Cape and then to the East Cape)
• Capys alphaeus extentus Quickelberge, 1979 (from the East Cape along the mountains to the eastern part of the Orange Free State and the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg, Swaziland, Mpumalanga and the Limpopo Province)

References

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