Chrysoritis lycegenes | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Lycaenidae |
Genus: | Chrysoritis |
Species: | C. lycegenes |
Binomial name | |
Chrysoritis lycegenes (Trimen, 1874)[1] |
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Synonyms | |
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The Mooi River Opal (Chrysoritis lycegenes) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in South Africa, where it is known from northern KwaZulu-Natal to Mpumalanga, along the Drakensberg escarpment to Mariepskop in the Limpopo Province.
The wingspan is 21-24 mm for males and 23-26 mm for females. Adults are on wing from September to October and from December to January. There are two generations per year.[2]
The larvae feed on Diospyros austro-africana, Diospyros lycioides, Myrsine africa, Rhus species and Chrysanthemoides monilifera. They are attended to by Crematogaster liengmei ants.