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 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| 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]
Larvae feed on Thesium species, Osteospermum polygaloides, and Zygophyllum species. They are associated with ants of the genus Crematogaster.
Subspecies
edit- 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)
References
edit- ^ 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.
Media related to Chrysoritis nigricans at Wikimedia Commons
