# Anthene

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For the towns of ancient Greece, see [Anthene (Cynuria)](/source/Anthene_(Cynuria)), [Anthene (Thessaly)](/source/Anthene_(Thessaly)).

***Anthene*** is a genus of [butterflies](/source/Butterflies) in the family [Lycaenidae](/source/Lycaenidae), commonly called the **ciliate blues** or **hairtails**. The genus was erected by [Edward Doubleday](/source/Edward_Doubleday) in 1847.

*Anthene* are small to medium-sized (wingspan 16–40 millimetres), slender butterflies without tails or with 2–3 short, hairy tails on the hindwing. The upper parts are dark brown, in males often with a blue or blue-violet metallic sheen that is usually not as strong as in many other blues. Other species have orange, or less often, white patches. Females are more uniformly brown. The underparts are light brown, often with white-edged transverse bands, but without or with few dark spots.

The larvae can live on a variety of shrubs and trees, but are often found on the acacia genus (*[Acacia](/source/Acacia)*). Some of the species are [associated with ants](/source/Myrmecophily). The ants collect the young larvae and carry them back to the nest, where they are fed and cared for, in return they secrete substances that the ants like.

Distribution Most of the species live in Africa, but there is also a group in Southeast Asia (north to the Himalayas) and Australia.

The genera *Neurellipes*, *Neurypexina*, and *Triclema* are often considered subgenera of *Anthene*.

## Subgenera and species

Listed alphabetically within [subgenera](/source/Subgenera):[1]

- Subgenus ***Anthene*** Doubleday, 1847 ([Afrotropical realm](/source/Afrotropical_realm)) - *[Anthene abruptus](/source/Anthene_abruptus)* (Gaede, 1915) - *[Anthene afra](/source/Anthene_afra)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene alberta](/source/Anthene_alberta)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene amarah](/source/Anthene_amarah)* (Guérin-Méneville, 1847) – black-striped hairtail - *[Anthene arnoldi](/source/Anthene_arnoldi)* (N. Jones, 1917) - *[Anthene arora](/source/Anthene_arora)* Larsen, 1983 - *[Anthene atewa](/source/Anthene_atewa)* Larsen & Collins, 1998 - *[Anthene aurobrunnea](/source/Anthene_aurobrunnea)* (Ungemach, 1932) - *[Anthene bakeri](/source/Anthene_bakeri)* (H. H. Druce, 1910) - *[Anthene barnesi](/source/Anthene_barnesi)* Stevenson, 1940 - *[Anthene bipuncta](/source/Anthene_bipuncta)* (Joicey & Talbot, 1921) - *[Anthene bjoernstadi](/source/Anthene_bjoernstadi)* Collins & Larsen, 1991 - *[Anthene buchholzi](/source/Anthene_buchholzi)* (Plötz, 1880) - *[Anthene butleri](/source/Anthene_butleri)* (Oberthür, 1880) – pale hairtail - *[Anthene chirinda](/source/Anthene_chirinda)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene collinsi](/source/Anthene_collinsi)* D'Abrera, 1980 - *[Anthene contrastata](/source/Anthene_contrastata)* Ungemach, 1932 – mashuna hairtail - *[Anthene crawshayi](/source/Anthene_crawshayi)* (Butler, 1899) - *[Anthene definita](/source/Anthene_definita)* (Butler, 1899) – common hairtail - *[Anthene discimacula](/source/Anthene_discimacula)* (Joicey & Talbot, 1921) - *[Anthene emkopoti](/source/Anthene_emkopoti)* Larsen & Collins, 1998 - *[Anthene erythropoecilus](/source/Anthene_erythropoecilus)* (Holland, 1893) - *[Anthene flavomaculatus](/source/Anthene_flavomaculatus)* (Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1893) - *[Anthene helpsi](/source/Anthene_helpsi)* Larsen, 1994 - *[Anthene hobleyi](/source/Anthene_hobleyi)* (Neave, 1904) - *[Anthene hodsoni](/source/Anthene_hodsoni)* (Talbot, 1935) - *[Anthene indefinita](/source/Anthene_indefinita)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene irumu](/source/Anthene_irumu)* (Stempffer, 1948) - *[Anthene ituria](/source/Anthene_ituria)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene janna](/source/Anthene_janna)* Gabriel, 1949 - *[Anthene juanitae](/source/Anthene_juanitae)* Henning & Henning, 1993 – Juanita's hairtail - *[Anthene juba](/source/Anthene_juba)* (Fabricius, 1787) - *[Anthene kampala](/source/Anthene_kampala)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene katera](/source/Anthene_katera)* Talbot, 1937 - *[Anthene kersteni](/source/Anthene_kersteni)* (Gerstaecker, 1871) – Kersten's hairtail - *[Anthene kikuyu](/source/Anthene_kikuyu)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene lachares](/source/Anthene_lachares)* (Hewitson, [1878]) - *[Anthene larydas](/source/Anthene_larydas)* (Cramer, [1780]) - *[Anthene lasti](/source/Anthene_lasti)* (Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1894) - *[Anthene lemnos](/source/Anthene_lemnos)* (Hewitson, 1878) – large hairtail - *[Anthene leptala](/source/Anthene_leptala)* (Courvoisier, 1914) - *[Anthene leptines](/source/Anthene_leptines)* (Hewitson, 1874) - *[Anthene levis](/source/Anthene_levis)* (Hewitson, 1878) - *[Anthene ligures](/source/Anthene_ligures)* (Hewitson, 1874) - *[Anthene lindae](/source/Anthene_lindae)* Henning & Henning, 1994 – Linda's hairtail - *[Anthene liodes](/source/Anthene_liodes)* (Hewitson, 1874) – liodes hairtail - *[Anthene locuples](/source/Anthene_locuples)* (Grose-Smith, 1898) - *[Anthene lunulata](/source/Anthene_lunulata)* (Trimen, 1894) - *[Anthene lychnaptes](/source/Anthene_lychnaptes)* (Holland, 1891) - *[Anthene lychnides](/source/Anthene_lychnides)* (Hewitson, 1878) - *[Anthene lysicles](/source/Anthene_lysicles)* (Hewitson, 1874) - *[Anthene madibirensis](/source/Anthene_madibirensis)* (Wichgraf, 1921) - *[Anthene mahota](/source/Anthene_mahota)* (Grose-Smith, 1887) - *[Anthene makala](/source/Anthene_makala)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene melambrotus](/source/Anthene_melambrotus)* (Holland, 1893) - *[Anthene millari](/source/Anthene_millari)* (Trimen, 1893) – Millar's hairtail - *[Anthene minima](/source/Anthene_minima)* (Trimen, 1893) – little hairtail - *[Anthene montana](/source/Anthene_montana)* Kielland, 1990 - *[Anthene mpanda](/source/Anthene_mpanda)* Kielland, 1990 - *[Anthene ngoko](/source/Anthene_ngoko)* Stempffer, 1962 - *[Anthene nigropunctata](/source/Anthene_nigropunctata)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene onias](/source/Anthene_onias)* (Hulstaert, 1924) - *[Anthene opalina](/source/Anthene_opalina)* Stempffer, 1946 - *[Anthene otacilia](/source/Anthene_otacilia)* (Trimen, 1868) – Otacilia hairtail or Trimen's ciliate blue - *[Anthene pitmani](/source/Anthene_pitmani)* Stempffer, 1936 - *[Anthene princeps](/source/Anthene_princeps)* (Butler, 1876) – cupreous hairtail - *[Anthene pyroptera](/source/Anthene_pyroptera)* (Aurivillius, 1895) - *[Anthene radiata](/source/Anthene_radiata)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene ramnika](/source/Anthene_ramnika)* D'Abrera, 1980 - *[Anthene rhodesiana](/source/Anthene_rhodesiana)* Stempffer, 1962 - *[Anthene rothschildi](/source/Anthene_rothschildi)* (Aurivillius, 1922) - *[Anthene rubricinctus](/source/Anthene_rubricinctus)* (Holland, 1891) - *[Anthene rubrimaculata](/source/Anthene_rubrimaculata)* (Strand, 1909) - *[Anthene rufomarginata](/source/Anthene_rufomarginata)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene ruwenzoricus](/source/Anthene_ruwenzoricus)* (Grünberg, 1911) - *[Anthene saddacus](/source/Anthene_saddacus)* (Talbot, 1935) - *[Anthene schoutedeni](/source/Anthene_schoutedeni)* (Hulstaert, 1924) - *[Anthene scintillula](/source/Anthene_scintillula)* (Holland, 1891) - *[Anthene sheppardi](/source/Anthene_sheppardi)* Stevenson, 1940 - *[Anthene starki](/source/Anthene_starki)* Larsen, 2005 - *[Anthene suquala](/source/Anthene_suquala)* (Pagenstecher, 1902) - *[Anthene sylvanus](/source/Anthene_sylvanus)* (Drury, 1773) - *[Anthene talboti](/source/Anthene_talboti)* Stempffer, 1936 – Talbot's hairtail - *[Anthene ukerewensis](/source/Anthene_ukerewensis)* (Strand, 1909) - *[Anthene uzungwae](/source/Anthene_uzungwae)* Kielland, 1990 - *[Anthene versatilis](/source/Anthene_versatilis)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene wilsoni](/source/Anthene_wilsoni)* (Talbot, 1935) - *[Anthene xanthopoecilus](/source/Anthene_xanthopoecilus)* (Holland, 1893) - *[Anthene zenkeri](/source/Anthene_zenkeri)* (Karsch, 1895)
- Subgenus ***Anthene*** Doubleday, 1847; *Australasia*-species group ([Indomalayan realm](/source/Indomalayan_realm), [Australasian realm](/source/Australasian_realm), Himalayan area in the [Palearctic realm](/source/Palearctic_realm)): - *[Anthene emolus](/source/Anthene_emolus)* (Godart, [1824]) – ciliate blue - *[Anthene licates](/source/Anthene_licates)* (Hewitson, 1874) - *[Anthene lycaenina](/source/Anthene_lycaenina)* (R. Felder, 1868) – pointed ciliate blue - *[Anthene lycaenolus](/source/Anthene_lycaenolus)* Tite, 1966 - *[Anthene lycaenoides](/source/Anthene_lycaenoides)* (Felder, 1860) - *[Anthene paraffinis](/source/Anthene_paraffinis)* (Fruhstorfer, 1916) - *[Anthene philo](/source/Anthene_philo)* Hopffer, 1874 - *[Anthene seltuttus](/source/Anthene_seltuttus)* (Röber, 1886) - *[Anthene villosa](/source/Anthene_villosa)* (Snellen, 1878)
- Subgenus ***Neurellipes*** Bethune-Baker, 1910 [Afrotropical realm](/source/Afrotropical_realm) - *[Anthene aequatorialis](/source/Anthene_aequatorialis)* Stempffer, 1962 - *[Anthene chryseostictus](/source/Anthene_chryseostictus)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene fulvus](/source/Anthene_fulvus)* Stempffer, 1962 - *[Anthene gemmifera](/source/Anthene_gemmifera)* (Neave, 1910) - *[Anthene likouala](/source/Anthene_likouala)* Stempffer, 1962 - *[Anthene lusones](/source/Anthene_lusones)* (Hewitson, 1874) - *[Anthene staudingeri](/source/Anthene_staudingeri)* (Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1894)
- Subgenus ***Neurypexina*** Bethune-Baker, 1910 [Afrotropical realm](/source/Afrotropical_realm) - *[Anthene kalinzu](/source/Anthene_kalinzu)* (Stempffer, 1950) - *[Anthene lamprocles](/source/Anthene_lamprocles)* (Hewitson, 1878) - *[Anthene lyzanius](/source/Anthene_lyzanius)* (Hewitson, 1874) - *[Anthene quadricaudata](/source/Anthene_quadricaudata)* (Bethune-Baker, 1926)
- Subgenus ***Triclema*** Karsch, 1893 [Afrotropical realm](/source/Afrotropical_realm) - *[Anthene africana](/source/Anthene_africana)* (Bethune-Baker, 1926) - *[Anthene coerulea](/source/Anthene_coerulea)* (Aurivillius, 1895) - *[Anthene fasciatus](/source/Anthene_fasciatus)* (Aurivillius, 1895) - *[Anthene hades](/source/Anthene_hades)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene inconspicua](/source/Anthene_inconspicua)* (H. H. Druce, 1910) - *[Anthene inferna](/source/Anthene_inferna)* (Bethune-Baker, 1926) - *[Anthene kamilila](/source/Anthene_kamilila)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene kimboza](/source/Anthene_kimboza)* (Kielland, 1990) - *[Anthene krokosua](/source/Anthene_krokosua)* (Larsen, 2005) - *[Anthene lacides](/source/Anthene_lacides)* (Hewitson, 1874) - *[Anthene lamias](/source/Anthene_lamias)* (Hewitson, 1878) - *[Anthene lucretilis](/source/Anthene_lucretilis)* (Hewitson, 1874) - *[Anthene lutzi](/source/Anthene_lutzi)* (Holland, 1920) - *[Anthene marshalli](/source/Anthene_marshalli)* (Bethune-Baker, 1903) - *[Anthene nigeriae](/source/Anthene_nigeriae)* (Aurivillius, 1905) - *[Anthene obscura](/source/Anthene_obscura)* (H. H. Druce, 1910) - *[Anthene oculatus](/source/Anthene_oculatus)* (Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1893) - *[Anthene phoenicis](/source/Anthene_phoenicis)* (Karsch, 1893) - *[Anthene rufoplagata](/source/Anthene_rufoplagata)* (Bethune-Baker, 1910) - *[Anthene tisamenus](/source/Anthene_tisamenus)* (Holland, 1891)
- Subgenus unknown - *[Anthene georgiadisi](/source/Anthene_georgiadisi)* Larsen, 2009

## References

1. Savela, Markku. ["*Anthene* Doubleday, 1847"](https://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/lycaenidae/polyommatinae/anthene/). *Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms*. Retrieved September 29, 2019.

- (1775–1780). *[De Uitlandsche Kapellen](https://archive.org/stream/deuitlandschekap02cram#page/n3/mode/2up) ... Asia, Africa en America ...* Amsterdam, Baalde & Utrecht, 4 vols.
- (1847). *List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum* 2: [ii], 57 pp. London.
- (1935). *In* (1935). *Trans. R. ent. Soc. Lond.* **83**: 313-447.
- (1993). Description of a new species of *Anthene* Doubleday (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from the Transvaal, South Africa. *Metamorphosis* **4(4)**: 156-158.
- (2009). *[Anthene georgiadisi](/source/Anthene_georgiadisi)* sp. nov. (Lep.: Lycaenidae) – a new butterfly from Liberia. [*Entomologist's record and journal of variation*](http://www.entrecord.com/), **121 (1)**: 47-51. ISSN [0013-8916](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0013-8916)
- (1866). On the lepidopterous insects of Bengal. *Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London*. **1865**: [755-823](https://archive.org/stream/proceedingsofgen65zool#page/755/mode/1up), 3 [pls](https://archive.org/stream/proceedingsofgen65zool#page/n861/mode/1up).
- (1946). Contribution a l'etude des Lycaenidae de la faune ethiopienne. *Revue fr. Ent.* **13**: 8-19.
- (2001). Twenty new butterflies from the Solomon Islands (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae; Lycaenidae; Nymphalinae; Satyrinae; Danainae). *[British Journal of Entomology and Natural History](/source/British_Journal_of_Entomology_and_Natural_History)* **14**: 1-27.
- (1966). A revision of the genus *Anthene* from the Oriental region. *Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History)* **18**: 253-275, 2 pls, 28 text figs.
- (1932). Contribution a l'étude des lépidoptères d'Abyssinie. *Mém. Soc. Sci. nat. phy. Maroc.* **32**: 1-122, 2 pls., 1 map.
- (2008). *Checklist of Afrotropical Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea*. 7th Edn. (April 2007). Downloaded from [\[1\]](https://web.archive.org/web/20120607090118/http://www.atbutterflies.com/) Afrotropical Butterflies.

Content in this edit is translated from the existing Norwegian Wikipedia article at [Anthene](https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthene); see its history for attribution.

## External links

- Takanami, Yusuke & Seki, Yasuo (2001). ["Genus *Anthene*"](https://web.archive.org/web/20010630115931/http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~EY4Y-TKNM/Polyomatinae-Phil/Anthene.html). *A Synonymic List of Lycaenidae from the Philippines*. Archived June 30, 2001. With images.
- ["Taxonomy Browser: *Anthene*"](http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=25547). *Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD)*. Retrieved January 10, 2020.

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