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 | |
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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)
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C. t. thysbe -
C. t. osbecki -
C. t. psyche -
C. t. whitei
References
- ↑ Chrysoritis, Site of Markku Savela
- ↑ Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2005.
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