Lepidochrysops pephredo

Lepidochrysops pephredo, the Estcourt blue, is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is endemic to South Africa, and is found in the grassy hills of the KwaZulu-Natal midlands.

Lepidochrysops pephredo
in Seitz k
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Lepidochrysops
Species:	L. pephredo
Binomial name
Lepidochrysops pephredo (Trimen, 1889)
Synonyms
Lycaena pephredo Trimen, 1889 Cupido pephredo Neochrysops pephredo

The wingspan is 32–38 mm (1.3–1.5 in) for males and 36–40 mm (1.4–1.6 in) for females. Adults are on wing from October to November. There is one generation per year.^[2]

The larvae feed on Becium grandiflorum. Third and later instar larvae feed on the brood of Camponotus niveosetus ants.