Iolaus trimeni

Iolaus trimeni, the Trimen's sapphire, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, south-eastern Angola, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa. In South Africa it is found from northern KwaZulu-Natal to Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the North West province.

Trimen's sapphire
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Iolaus
Species:	I. trimeni
Binomial name
Iolaus trimeni Wallengren, 1875[2]
Synonyms
Jolaus trimeni Wallengren, 1875 Iolaus anesius Hulstaert, 1924

The wingspan is 34–40 mm for males and 36–42 mm for females. Adults are on the wing year round in warmer areas. In the cooler western part of its range there is a peak from September to January.^[3]

The larvae feed on Tapinanthus oleifolius, T. quinquangulus, T. rubromarginatus and T. subulatus.