Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 1, 2026

Lepidochrysops pterou

Lepidochrysops pterou is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya. The habitat consists of rocky hillsides and the tops of low rocky outcrops with sparse grass and lamiates and stunted vegetation. Subspecies suk is found on rocky hills and in sparse grass-lamiate areas in savanna under thorn trees and Combretum species.

Last revised
Aug 1, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
182 w
Citations
2
Source
Lepidochrysops pterou
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Lepidochrysops
Species:
L. pterou
Binomial name
Lepidochrysops pterou
(Bethune-Baker, [1923])1
Synonyms
  • Neochrysops pterou Bethune-Baker, [1923]
  • Euchrysops pteron lilacina Ungemach, 1932

Lepidochrysops pterou is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya.2 The habitat consists of rocky hillsides and the tops of low rocky outcrops with sparse grass and lamiates and stunted vegetation. Subspecies suk is found on rocky hills and in sparse grass-lamiate areas in savanna under thorn trees and Combretum species.

Adults feed from flowers. They have been recorded on wing in January, March, September and October.

The larvae feed on the flowers of Lamiaceae species

Subspecies

  • Lepidochrysops pterou pterou (Uganda: West Nile Province and the south-east, south-western Kenya)
  • Lepidochrysops pterou lilacina (Ungemach, 1932) (Ethiopia: valley of the Didessa River)
  • Lepidochrysops pterou suk van Someren, 1957 (Kenya: Suk-Karamoja country, the border between Kenya and Uganda and north of Mount Elgon)
References

References

  1. Lepidochrysops at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms
  2. Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Tribe Polyommatini (part 5)