Chrysoritis thysbe

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

Opal copper
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 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
  • Chrysoritis thysbe (nominate subspecies)
Range: Cape Peninsula to Mossel Bay, north to Lamberts Bay, inland to Piketberg and Citrusdal
  • Chrysoritis thysbe subsp. osbecki (Aurivillius, 1882)
  • Chrysoritis thysbe subsp. psyche (Pennington, 1967)
Range: from Bitterfontein south to Nardouwsberg in the Western Cape
Range: Hondeklipbaai area, inland to Wallekraal in the Northern Cape
  • Chrysoritis thysbe subsp. schloszae (Dickson, 1994)
Range: Moorreesburg area in the Western Cape
  • Chrysoritis thysbe subsp. whitei (Dickson, 1994)
Range: Port Elizabeth area in the Eastern Cape
  • Chrysoritis thysbe subsp. mithras (Pringle, 1995)
Range: Stilbaai to Brenton-on-Sea in the Western Cape
  • Nominate subsp.
  • C. t. subsp. osbecki
  • C. t. subsp. psyche
  • C. t. subsp. whitei

References
  1. Chrysoritis at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.


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