Eicochrysops messapus
Eicochrysops messapus, the cupreous blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Africa. In South Africa it is rare and only known from the northern part of the Limpopo province and northern KwaZulu-Natal.
The wingspan is 17–22 mm for males and 17–24 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round in warmer areas, with peaks in October and March. In cooler areas it is not found from April to September.
The larvae probably feed on Thesium species.
Subspecies
file:Eicochrysops messapus mahallakoeana by mineraalsuiping, Skeerpoort, b.jpg|thumb|left|E. m. mahallakoeana, mud-puddling- E. m. messapus — South Africa: Western Cape to Free State provinces
- E. m. mahallakoeana — South Africa: northern Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, northern Free State, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West provinces
- E. m. nandiana — Kenya, Uganda
- E. m. sebagadis — highlands of Ethiopia