About Stugeta bowkeri (Trimen, 1864)
Stugeta bowkeri, commonly known as Bowker's sapphire, Bowker's marbled sapphire, or Bowker's tailed blue, is a butterfly species belonging to the family Lycaenidae. It is distributed across most of southern Africa. Males of this species have a wingspan ranging from 26 to 32 millimeters, while females have a wingspan of 29 to 41 millimeters. Adult butterflies are active from September to May each year, with population peaks occurring in October and March. The larval host plants vary by subspecies: larvae of subspecies bowkeri and henningi feed exclusively on Viscum rotundifolium. Larvae of subspecies tearei have been recorded feeding on Ximenia afra, Ximenia americana, Viscum rotundifolium, and Tapinanthus quinquangulus. Additional recorded larval food plants for the species include Loranthus species (specifically L. elegans and L. oleaefolius), as well as other species from the Tapinanthus and Ximenia genera.
