Tomares mauretanicus

Moroccan hairstreak
Living specimen
Male (top) and female (bottom)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Tomares
Species: T. mauretanicus
Binomial name
Tomares mauretanicus
(Lucas, 1849)[1]
Synonyms
  • Polyommatus mauretanicus Lucas, 1849
  • Polyommatus mauretanicus var. undulatus Gerhard, 1853
  • Thestor mauretanicus ab. sabulosus Oberthür, 1910
  • Thestor mauretanicus var. boisduvali Oberthür, 1910
  • Thestor mauretanicus ab. tristis Oberthür, 1915
  • Thestor mauretanicus f. subtus-reductus Zopp, 1954
  • Thestor mauretanicus f. subtus-confluens Zopp, 1954
  • Thestor mauretanicus f. maroccanus Zopp, 1954
  • Tomares mauretanicus antonius Brevignon, 1985

Tomares mauretanicus, the Moroccan hairstreak, is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family.

Description

The wingspan is 28–30 mm.

Habitat

Grassy places from sea level to 2400 m

Distribution

It is found only in Northern Africa.

Life cycle and behaviour

The butterfly flies from January to March. In the High Atlas it flies into June.

The larvae feed on Hippocrepis multisiliquosa, Hippocrepis minor, Hedysarum pallidum, Astragalus epiglottis and Astragalus pentaglottis. The eggs are laid in clusters on the leaves of the host plant. The species flies on hot, dry hillsides and it has been known to 'hilltop'.

Subspecies

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tomares mauretanicus.
Wikispecies has information related to: Tomares mauretanicus

Further reading

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