Chrysoritis nigricans
Chrysoritis nigricans, the dark opal, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae found only in South Africa.
| Dark opal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Set of C. n. zwartbergae | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Chrysoritis |
| Species: | C. nigricans |
| Binomial name | |
| Chrysoritis nigricans (Aurivillius, 1924)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The wingspan is 22–33 mm for males and 23–38 mm for females. Flight period is multi-brooded from September to April, peaking October/November and March.[2]
Larva feed on Thesium species, Osteospermum polygaloides, and Zygophyllum species. They are associated with ants of the genus Crematogaster.
Subspecies
- Chrysoritis nigricans nigricans (South Africa: Western Cape province)
- Chrysoritis nigricans zwartbergae (Dickson, 1982) (South Africa: Western Cape province)
- Chrysoritis nigricans rubrescens Heath & Pringle, 2007 (South Africa: Western Cape province)
gollark: What?
gollark: The idea is that it *might* be and it's better than *definitely* dying.
gollark: I see.
gollark: Looking to cryogenically freeze yourself or just general interest?
gollark: This also applies to things like little-used keys, USB sticks, and micro-USB cables, although the exact decay modes are unknown.
References
- Chrysoritis at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- 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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