Lepidochrysops oosthuizeni

Lepidochrysops oosthuizeni
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 2.3) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Lepidochrysops
Species:	L. oosthuizeni
Binomial name
Lepidochrysops oosthuizeni Swanepoel & Vári, 1983

Lepidochrysops oosthuizeni, Oosthuizen's blue, is a species of butterfly in the Lycaenidae family. It is found in Lesotho and South Africa, where it is found on high altitude grassland and Nama Karoo on the Witteberg in the East Cape and the Maluti Mountains in Lesotho and the eastern Orange Free State.

The wingspan is 33–37 mm for males and 34–38 mm for females. Adults are on wing from December to January. There is one generation per year.^[2]

The larvae feed on Selago galpinii.

References

1. M. Gimenez Dixon (1996). "Lepidochrysops oosthuizeni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
2. Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2005.