Chrysoritis thysbe

Opal copper
Possibly Chrysoritis thysbe
Possibly Chrysoritis thysbe
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Chrysoritis
Species: C. thysbe
Binomial name
Chrysoritis thysbe
(Linnaeus, 1764)[1]
Synonyms
  • Papilio thysbe Linnaeus, 1764
  • Papilio nais Cramer, 1775
  • Papilio splendens Swainson, 1833
  • Phasis osbecki Aurivillius, 1882
  • Poecilmitis psyche Pennington, 1967
  • Poecilmitis bamptoni Dickson, 1976
  • Poecilmitis lyndseyae Henning, 1979
  • Poecilmitis thysbe schloszae Dickson, 1994
  • Poecilmitis whitei Dickson, 1994
  • Poecilmitis mithras Pringle, 1995

Chrysoritis thysbe, the opal copper or common opal, is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in South Africa.

The wingspan is 24–32 mm for males and 23–35 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round with peaks in October and March.[2]

The larvae feed on Chrysanthemoides incana, C. monilifera, Osteospermum polygaloides, Lebeckia plukenetiana, Aspalathus, Zygophyllum and Thesium species. They are attended to by Crematogaster peringueyi ants.

Subspecies

Range: Cape Peninsula to Mossel Bay, north to Lamberts Bay, inland to Piketberg and Citrusdal
Range: from Bitterfontein south to Nardouwsberg in the Western Cape
Range: Hondeklipbaai area, inland to Wallekraal in the Northern Cape
Range: Moorreesburg area in the Western Cape
Range: Port Elizabeth area in the Eastern Cape
Range: Stilbaai to Brenton-on-Sea in the Western Cape

References

  1. ↑ Chrysoritis at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. ↑ Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2005.
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