Chrysoritis uranus
Encyclopedia
Uranus Opal is a butterfly
of the Lycaenidae
family found only in South Africa
.
The wingspan
is 24–30 mm for males and 25–32 mm for females. Flight period has several broods from October to April.
The larvae feed on Centella
, Aspalathus
, and Zygophyllum
spp. They are attended to 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 found only 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 24–30 mm for males and 25–32 mm for females. Flight period has several broods from October to April.
The larvae feed on Centella
Centella
Centella is a genus of 2 or 3 species of flowering plants in the family Mackinlayaceae. The genus is sometimes placed in family Apiaceae....
, Aspalathus
Aspalathus
Aspalathus is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. The yellow flowers and spiny habit of some species have suggested a resemblance to Ulex europaeus, the thorny "English gorse" Accordingly "Cape Gorse" has been proposed as a common name although the resemblance is largely...
, and 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...
spp. They are attended to Crematogaster liengmei ants.