Anthene contrastata, the mashuna hairtail, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in eastern Africa, from South Africa, north to Ethiopia and Arabia.
| Anthene contrastata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Anthene |
| Species: | A. contrastata
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| Binomial name | |
| Anthene contrastata (Ungemach, 1932)[1]
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| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is 19–23 mm for males and 21–24 mm for females. Adults are on wing from September to June, with peaks in November and from March to April.[2]
The larvae probably feed on Acacia species, including Acacia karroo and Acacia tortilis.
Subspecies
edit- Anthene contrastata contrastata (Ethiopia, Yemen)
- Anthene contrastata mashuna (Stevenson, 1937) (West Cape, KwaZulu-Natal to Orange Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo Province, North West Province, North Cape, north to Zimbabwe to Kenya)
- Anthene contrastata turkana Stempffer, 1936 (northern Kenya, Somalia, north-eastern Uganda)
References
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Wikispecies has information related to Anthene contrastata.
- ^ Anthene at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- ^ Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.