Myrina dermaptera, the lesser fig-tree blue or scarce fig-tree blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa, southern Arabia and northern Oman.
Description The wingspan is 26–32 mm for males and 30–38 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round with strong peaks in November and from April to June.
Habitat and behavior The males are highly territorial, and patrol their chosen spots around fig trees. They are noted to perform in an unusual hovering and spiraling aerial display, which seems as a form of threat or dominance.
The larvae feed on Ficus species, including F. sur, F. thonningii and F. natalensis.
Subspecies Myrina dermaptera dermaptera (Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga and Limpopo, southern Mozambique) Myrina dermaptera nyassae Talbot, 1935 (Zimbabwe, Malawi, eastern Tanzania to Kenya (Nairobi))
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External links
Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 66 f