Chrysoritis thysbe

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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

The Opal Copper or Common Opal (Chrysoritis thysbe) 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, Chrysanthemoides monilifera, Osteospermum polygaloides, Lebeckia plukenetiana, Aspalathus, Zygophyllum and Thesium species. They are attended to by Crematogaster peringueyi ants.

Subspecies

  • Chrysoritis thysbe thysbe (Cape Peninsula to Mossel Bay, north to Lambert’s Bay, inland to Piketberg and Citrusdal)
  • Chrysoritis thysbe osbecki (Aurivillius, 1882)
  • Chrysoritis thysbe psyche (Pennington, 1967) (from Bitterfontein south to Nardouwsberg in the Western Cape)
  • Chrysoritis thysbe bamptoni (Dickson, 1976) (Hondeklipbaai area, inland to Wallekraal in the Northern Cape)
  • Chrysoritis thysbe schloszae (Dickson, 1994) (Moorreesburg area in the Western Cape)
  • Chrysoritis thysbe whitei (Dickson, 1994) (Port Elizabeth area in the Eastern Cape)
  • Chrysoritis thysbe mithras (Pringle, 1995) (Stilbaai to Brenton-on-Sea in the Western Cape)

References

  1. Chrysoritis, Site of Markku Savela
  2. Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2005.
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