Hypolycaena liara liara

Hypolycaena liara liara H. H. Druce
Hypolycaena liara H. H. Druce, 1890: 27. Aurivillius, 1922 [1908-1925]: 383; pi. 67a.
= Hypolycaena naara Hewitson: Karsch, 1893: 223 (Togo; synonymy on the authority of Aurivillius, 1895b: 211).
The species was not previously known from farther west than Ghana. Liberian females differ markedly from females at hand from southern Cameroon, being smaller (barely over the size of lebona females), the basal blue more limited, much darker and almost unnoticeable. I have seen no material from southern Nigeria, from which country Druce described liar a, and so cannot tell which form is typical. The Ganta female was noted by Fox as taken in copula, but the male associated with it is H. dubia Aurivillius!
The species ranges from Liberia eastward to southern Sudan (subspecies obscura Stempffer), Kenya and Uganda (subspecies plana Talbot), south to southern Cameroon and Gabon. It appears to be rather local and not very common.
Liberia: Harbel, 4 9 I, 3 9 , II, 2 9 , III, 1 9 , V, 2 9 , XII; Ganta, 1 9, VII (Fox).