Chrysoritis turneri
Encyclopedia
Turner's Opal is a butterfly
of the Lycaenidae
family. It is found in South Africa
.
The wingspan
is 22–26 mm for males and 33–40 mm for females. Adults are on year from September to April, with peaks in October and February (for ssp. turneri) and December (for ssp. amatola).
The larvae feed on Zygophyllum
species, Dimorphotheca cuneata
and Osteospermum
. They are attended to by Crematogaster liengmei
ants.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the Lycaenidae
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
family. It is found in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 22–26 mm for males and 33–40 mm for females. Adults are on year from September to April, with peaks in October and February (for ssp. turneri) and December (for ssp. amatola).
The larvae feed on Zygophyllum
Zygophyllum
Zygophyllum is the type genus of the flowering plant family Zygophyllaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words ζυγόν , meaning "yoke," and φυλλον , meaning "leaf." It refers to the leaves, each of which have two leaflets...
species, Dimorphotheca cuneata
Dimorphotheca
Dimorphotheca, commonly called Cape marigold, is one of eight genera of the Calenduleae, with a center of diversity in Southern Africa. Some species can hybridize with Osteospermum, and crosses are sold as cultivated ornamentals...
and Osteospermum
Osteospermum
Osteospermum is a genus belonging to the Calenduleae, one of the smaller tribes of the sunflower family .Osteospermum used to belong to the genus Dimorphotheca, but only the annual species remain in that genus; the perennials belong to Osteospermum. The genus Osteospermum is also closely related...
. They are attended to by Crematogaster liengmei
Crematogaster
Crematogaster is an ecologically diverse genus of ants found worldwide, which are characterised by a distinctive heart-shaped gaster , which gives one of their common names, Valentine Ant. It is the only genus of the tribus Crematogastrini. Most of species are arboreal...
ants.
Subspecies
- Chrysoritis turneri turneri (West Cape, southern Namaqualand)
- Chrysoritis turneri amatola (Dickson & McMaster, 1967) (East Cape, Lesotho)
- Chrysoritis turneri wykehami (Dickson, 1980)