Hypolycaena lebona Hewitson 1865

Hypolycaena lebona Hewitson
Hypolycaena lebona Hewitson, 1865 [1862-1878]: 51; pi. 23, figs. 28, 29 (as antifaunus on plate). Karsch, 1893: 222; Lamborn et al, 1914: 473. Stempffer, 1950: 403; 1952a: 186. Stempffer and Bennett, 1956: 510.
It is impossible to know if all the preceding references are to lebona alone or refer partly to the preceding dubia. For this reason I have refrained from citing any of the localities listed by Stempffer (1950) and Stempffer and Bennett (1956). Only males of this and dubia are separable; females remain unassociable with their males and indistinguishable from one another. Liberian females examined, presumably representing both species, are as follows: Liberia: no further data, 3 2 (Good); Harbel, 6 5 , I, 6 9 , II,
Ganta, 1 9 , II, 2 9 , VI, 1 9 , VII, 1 9 , X, 1 9 , XII; Zorzor, 3 9 , XI; Yendamalahoun, 1 9 , IV (all Fox).
Liberian males of lebona may be separated into three forms differing in various secondary sexual attributes. These forms, with their characters, records and ranges, as far as known, are listed individually.
Form (1). Forewing below with scent patch on vein 2A surrounded by a moderate amount of fuscous shading, but leaving the postmedian band visible below Cuo; no pale blue scaling in base of forewing above; hindwing above with apical area fuscous.
This form is known from Liberia, southern Cameroon, southern Congo and western Uganda.
Liberia: Harbel, 1 8 , II, 1 8 , III; Ganta, 1 8 , V, 1 8 , IX; Zorzor, 6 8 , XI; trail near Fisabu, 1 8 , XII (all Fox).
Form (2). Forewing below with scent patch on vein 2 A surrounded by a dense, heavy fuscous shading which completely obliterates the postmedian band below Cu 2 ; no pale bluish scaling in basal area of forewing above; hindwing above at critical angle with purple iridescence in apical area.
Specimens of this form have been seen from Sierra Leone, Liberia and southern Cameroon.
Liberia: no further data, 1 8 (Good); Harbel, 13 8 , I, 18 8 , II,
XII; Fish Lake, 1 8 , I; Ganta, 1 8 , I, 3 8 , II, 4 S , V, 1 S , VIII; Wanau Forest, 2 8 , I, 1 8 , III; Zorzor, 1 8 , XI; trail near Fisabu, 1 8, XII (all Fox).
Form (3). Forewing below with scent patch on vein 2 A almost without fuscous peripheral shading; basal area of forewing above with streaks of pale blue shading; hindwing above with apical area fuscous.
Specimens of this form have been examined from Sierra Leone, Liberia, southern Cameroon, Gabon and Uganda.
Liberia: Harbel, 2 8 , I, 2 8 , II, 2 8 , III, 3 8 , IV, 3 8 , V, 1 8 , VI, 1 8 , VIII, 1 8 , X, 2 8 , XI; Wanau Forest, 1 8 , X (all Fox).

Hypolycaena lebona, the fairy hairstreak, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Tanzania. The habitat consists of forests.

Adults mud-puddle and have also been recorded imbibing moisture from moist wood ash.

The larvae have been recorded feeding on ewo (a word in the Yoruba language). They are associated with ants of the genus Pheidole, including P. aurivillii race kasaiensis. The larvae are deep green in colour.