| Chrysoritis palmus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Chrysoritis |
| Species: | C. palmus |
| Binomial name | |
| Chrysoritis palmus (Stoll, [1781])[1] |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
The Water Opal (Chrysoritis palmus) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in South Africa.
The wingspan is 21-29 mm for males and 25-31 mm for females. Adults of ssp. palmus are on year from September to April, with a peak in December. The peak for ssp. margueritae is January to March. There are several generations per year.[2]
The larvae feed on Aspalathus sarcantha, Aspalathus carnosa, Chrysanthemoides monilifera, Berzelia intermedia, Berzelia lanuginosa and Berzelia abrotanoides. They are attended to by Crematogaster peringueyi ants.